An Empire Reborn
by Spidersting
Summary: Vegeta's left Earth with new plans for the future and someone has gone missing. Goku has been sent to find that someone. Warnings: Violence, G/V yaoi, BDSM, and language.
1. No Royal Road to Peace

Chapter 1: No Royal Road to Peace

"Where is he, Vegeta?" Goku charged. His nemesis stood not more than twenty feet away, clad in regal garments and with an air of arrogant nobility about him. The larger warrior tightened his muscles until the veins in his arms looked ready to burst.

"What are you talking about, Kakarott?" inquired the royal. "What the hell are you doing here?" The guards protectively surrounding the Prince of the Saiyans did not take their eyes off of the intruder for a split-second.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about, Vegeta! You had no right to kidnap a helpless child! Bulma's worried sick." Goku glared at the other Saiyan. The lavender-skinned soldiers stiffened at the perceived threat toward the visiting royal.

"Who are you to preach to me what my rights are, you self-righteous lout? King Chrystla makes the laws around here," Vegeta gestured towards said sovereign and then continued, "and he says all offspring belong to their biological fathers. You're on the wrong planet to tell me what to do."

Vegeta threw a glance over his shoulder to the mentioned monarch—the large, violet-skinned man in kingly threads sitting on a golden throne with purple velvet drapes. Chrystla had no idea how the man in the orange gi had suddenly appeared in his throne room or why the madman had begun shouting at one of the royal guests. The King's anger and indignation were nothing compared to his bewilderment. He observed the scene without uttering a word.

Vegeta turned to Chrystla and started muttering something to him in an unearthly, melodious language. Goku raised a brow, surprised that Vegeta was able to enunciate such sounds as the alien tongue required. He figured the Saiyan Prince must be explaining the situation. Chrystla listened intently and gave a nod, then turned and frowned at Goku.

Vegeta returned his gaze to Goku as well. "You want to settle this in a more appropriate setting, clown?" He swept his velvet cape back in a dignified manner and signaled for one of the servants. Two attendants came up behind him. One undid the buttons adhering the cape to the Prince's armor and the other took the garment and folded it up carefully. Goku gasped.

Vegeta knew immediately what it was that had shocked his adversary. He chuckled in delight and waved the appendage he knew the other Saiyan had noticed casually around in the air behind him. "Don't worry, Kakarott. I won't be in need of it." He snickered again at the shocked look on the other man's face. "Not _this_ time."

As much as Vegeta's aristocratic appearance surprised Goku, the Earth Saiyan hid it as to not provoke any more arrogant behavior from him. The regenerated tail had caught Goku off guard and he growled low in his throat, which only had the effect of widening Vegeta's delighted grin.

Goku looked around at everyone in the room—King Chrystla, the guards, the servants, various other high-ranking individuals, and, of course, Vegeta, the one and only. He recognized the look in their eyes. It was the same look he and the Z fighters gave every nemesis that had threatened Earth. It was the look he had given Frieza. He was considered a threat, a serious one.

Vegeta stepped forward, head drawn down, in his princely Saiyan armor. The royal seal of the bygone Planet Vegeta marked his left breast. He lifted his head to meet Goku's stare. "If you want to duke this out, I know of the perfect nearby wilderness area to do so." Vegeta snapped a finger, not averting his eyes from Goku's, and two of the King's fierce-looking guards stepped toward him.

"Mereinme gata shim shim, Feldspar ibe Peridot," Vegeta ordered in a pleasant voice. The guards accompanied them to the front entrance, an elegant pair of crystalline double-doors. They appeared over eighty feet in height and sparkled above them. Goku felt a bit overwhelmed by the towering threshold. Peridot opened a small control panel and input a computer command. The enormous doors began to slide open, providing a grand view of the endless sky and the vast city surrounding the palace.

Vegeta floated up into the air and whizzed away into the blue-green midday sky, followed by his guards, and then by Goku. The palace entrance slid shut behind them.

_Once I get that brain-damaged idiot alone I'm going to gut him alive and watch him squirm for hours. Who the hell does he think he is calling me out right in front of Pellucian royalty? And how dare he just IT into the King's throne room like that? Ignorant dolt! But perhaps I can alter this situation to my advantage,_ Vegeta thought as he flew, hands fisted into tight balls.

Goku snuck a glance at the magnificent palace they had left behind as they soared into the distance. It was like a great gleaming jewel mountain on the horizon, surrounded by a beautiful, glistening city. Goku's brows furrowed further, taking notice of the air of superiority and condescension Vegeta was portraying. He didn't really want to fight the smaller Saiyan, but he could not let the Prince get away with his crime. It was his responsibility to retrieve Trunks and bring him home safe. He had to succeed.

Vegeta, Goku, and the two royal guards flew over cities and villages of multi-colored gemstones until they came to a wilderness clearing. It was an open meadow of blue-green knee-high grasses and wildflowers at the edge of a forest. Vegeta halted in mid-air, as did the others, and turned around to face his foe.

As he stared the Prince down, Goku silently wondered why Vegeta had taken the baby. Was he just trying to provoke the Z fighter to get him on the battlefront? Was he in it for revenge over his defeat on Earth? Goku did not know, but he hoped to find out.

A malicious smirk started slowly crawling up the side of Vegeta's face. Goku noticed this and bore his teeth at the show of vanity. The Prince wrapped his tail around his waist protectively and readied himself.

"Well, Kakarott," he finally spoke up, "if you're ready to receive the pounding of your life, I'm more than ready to dish it out." He got ready in a pre-fight pose, which signaled to Goku to do the same. All inclinations to suggest that they talk it out first fell to the wayside as an immediate threat came to the Z fighter's physical wellbeing. The royal guards barreled out of the way before Vegeta shot forward with blinding speed and a fist ready to wreak havoc on anything and anyone that stood in its way.


	2. Battle Royale

Chapter 2: Battle Royale

Vegeta swooped down and aimed a punch at Goku's stomach, but the other warrior was lucky enough to just barely dodge. He could tell Vegeta was just toying with him.

Goku knew if he went Super Saiyan he could easily defeat Vegeta, so he wondered why Vegeta was even bothering with a battle in the first place. He felt inclined to point out that they were nowhere near matched in strength, but his curiosity to find out what Vegeta was up to suppressed his urge to end the fight swiftly.

The Z fighter fought back, mostly staying on the defensive. He noted that Vegeta had improved greatly and couldn't help but wonder if the royal Saiyan had any tricks up his sleeve.

"Ah!" Goku shouted in pain, putting a hand to the back of his head where the other warrior had landed a hard kick just moments before. The assault continued relentlessly.

"Oops! Sorry, Kakarott," Vegeta spat in sarcasm. "I forgot how much brain damage you've already managed to obtain. Please forgive my negligence." He threw a one-two punch combo at Goku's face, missed once, but the second jab nailed the orange-clad warrior straight in the jaw.

"Hope you won't miss any of your teeth. Not that you'll have use for them by the time I finish with you." Vegeta swung back for another punch.

"Enough!" Goku said.

Vegeta ignored him and continued the attack.

"Stop it, Vegeta!" Goku shouted, putting up a hand to block him.

Vegeta halted in mid-air, just feet away from his opponent, with a look of surprise on his face.

"This is stupid, Vegeta. What are you doing? Why can't we just talk about this first?" Goku asserted, seeming cross.

Vegeta gave him an incredulous look. "You want to… _talk_?" He paused, and then scoffed at his opponent. The Prince slowly lowered his fist. "What would an Elite fighter have to say to a holier-than-thou lunatic like you? You come here and start preaching to me like the local sheriff, but you've never read a law book in your life, especially not one from this planet, and you have no authority to speak of. You're pathetic. What could I possibly care to hear from a witless peasant?"

Goku's brow wrinkled. "Listen, Vegeta. I came here for a reason and it's not because I want to fight with you."

"Really? That was some pretty tough talk you used back at the palace. What could possibly explain the change of heart, I wonder? Just realized you don't really stand a chance, eh? That's what I thought, you hypocritical coward."

"Shut up, Vegeta! I'm no coward!" Goku bellowed. The blatant insult and Vegeta's stubbornness severely irked the low-class warrior.

Goku suppressed the urge to pound Vegeta into the ground and forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath and then spoke again. "Why did you do it, Vegeta? Why?" Goku asked calmly, wiping blood from his lower lip.

Vegeta snickered. "Why did I do what? I'm not going to talk to you if you aren't going to bother explaining yourself. Presumptions are not a healthy thing, especially when dealing with foreign cultures." He shot a glance at his native bodyguards.

Goku snarled in response, sick of Vegeta's insolent behavior. "Where is Trunks?" he demanded, fed up. "Why did you take him?"

"_Trunks_…? Isn't that something you Earthlings wear under your clothes to keep your balls in place?" Vegeta replied, scratching his head in feigned curiosity.

Goku rubbed his temples, frustrated. "No, Vegeta! I'm talking about the baby, Trunks Briefs. Bulma sent me here to bring him home. Dr. Briefs said he saw you kidnap him from the infant ward just before the surgeon came to remove his tail."

"Oh!" Vegeta slapped his forehead. "You must be talking about Prince Vegeta XV." The elder Prince gave Goku a rather dramatic eye roll and clicked his tongue at his enemy. "I did not 'kidnap' him, you silly fool. He is my son and I have every right to have him in my possession. In fact, it is precisely where he belongs." Vegeta leaned forward and leered a bit as he uttered, "For a minute there, I thought you were accusing me of stealing someone's underwear. Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"No! You had no right! I came here to get Trunks back and I'm not leaving without him. He needs his mom. There is no way you can justify tearing them apart like that. It's wrong, period. No matter what planet you're on or what the laws are, I won't allow it. Now you have two options: You can either give up Trunks voluntarily or I'll _make_ you give him up. I don't care what it takes. But I'd prefer to not have to use violence unless it's absolutely necessary." Goku clenched his fists, determined, and waited for an answer.

"Oh, no, please, Kakarott!" Vegeta squeaked, pretending to cower before the other fighter. He paid no heed to Goku's eye rolling. The Prince chuckled and put his hands on his hips. "Really now, I'm shaking in my little gold-tipped booties." He heard Goku growl low in his throat. The Prince dropped the act and lowered his voice to a deadly tone. "What are you gonna do, idiot? Chastise me? Bad Saiyan, no, no! _Bad_ Vegeta."

"Did you forget who the Super Saiyan is around here?" Goku finally inquired, growing tired of Vegeta's mind games.

"Why, yes. I suppose I must have, considering how much of a joke this seems to be. You can't be serious, clown. You're not going anywhere with my boy. If you had me broken and bleeding in the Pellucian dirt, imprisoned, or tortured to the brink of madness, I'd never give away his location," Vegeta sneered, looking at the other Saiyan with clear disgust.

"Okay, Vegeta," Goku said, trying to contain his anger. Vegeta's stubbornness and snotty behavior was really starting to get to him. He had to exercise a great deal of self-control to stay calm and reasonable. "I'm giving you. One. Last. Chance." He paused between words. "Repeat: One. Last. Chance. Tell me where the baby is or else!"

"Or else? Or else _what_?" Vegeta challenged, still amused.

"Or else _this_!" The small mortal form of Goku erupted on the alien horizon in a show of golden light and heat, power pulsing through every one of his veins. The sheer energy from the transformation caused the ground to quake and tempest-like winds to howl.

The royal guards' scouters exploded on their faces and they both gaped in shock. They looked to the Prince they'd been hired to protect, and then back to Goku. Vegeta was on his own now. He knew it, and so did they. He signaled to them to get out of the way of the battle, so they made a beeline for the nearest shelter. They peered back at the two Saiyans from behind a large boulder several hundred feet behind the Prince.

Vegeta, unaffected by the transformation save for his hair being ruffled from the blast of wind, scoffed at his rival.

A very angry, very Super Saiyan Goku was staring him down fiercely, grinding his teeth. He looked like he could have been a lion in a past life, golden mane and all.

Two pairs of eyes, one a turquoise green, remained locked on each other as if the slightest diversion would spell death. They uttered not a word until the winds calmed down and Goku's form became nothing more than a suspended light source like the sun, causing no further weather disruptions.

Goku kept his eyes on Vegeta, who stared back with the very same scowl on his regal face.

Suddenly Vegeta's demeanor changed sharply. His frown turned to a sly smirk, which turned to a wicked grin. And his silence turned to a light chuckle, turned to laughter, turned to evil cackling. The royal guards glanced up from behind the rocks to see what the hubbub was all about. As far as they were concerned, there was nothing to laugh at.

"Oh, okay, Kakarott," Vegeta tried to speak, roaring with laughter in between every phrase or so. "If you were ready to turn it up a notch already then why didn't you just say so? Judging from your stalling, I thought you just wanted to spar around for awhile." Vegeta finally managed to contain his delight.

"No, but seriously," he continued, "if you've had enough play time, then I'm just fine with that." Vegeta snapped his neck from side to side without breaking eye contact, readying himself for the real carnage.

The royal warrior started gathering power into the center of his being. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his core and on pulling all his physical, spiritual, and mental energy into that spot.

Tiny pebbles on the ground started to jump and bounce as a subtle vibration rippled through the alien earth below. The wind caught speed again and it swirled blankets of dust and exotic pollen around the two floating figures. Goku sneezed and rubbed his nose, then returned his gaze to Vegeta's mysteriously changing form.

Tiny sparks of electricity, like little lightening bolts, began to encircle the other Saiyan's limbs every now and again. They gradually became more active until Vegeta's hair would've been standing on end if not for its natural erectness.

Vegeta released an enormous roar as the transformation overtook his being from the inside out. Bolts of lightening erupted from the sky and roasted segments of vegetation below and around him.

His eyes opened slowly and Goku noticed they were glazed over. It was then that Goku realized what was happening. Vegeta had done it. He had achieved the ultimate Saiyan transformation. Goku and his friends had previously believed he would never make that accomplishment. Theoretically one had to be pure of heart, and the legend predicted there would be only one. But, in fact, there were now two.

Vegeta's energized aura turned into an eruption of pure energy, pulsing and stirring the atmosphere around the royal fighter, his hair changing before Goku's eyes.

Goku looked on in awe as the two eyes staring back at him went from turquoise to black to turquoise to black. Vegeta swung his head back and bellowed. His pupils seemed to disappear altogether and then reappear as turquoise orbs. The transformation was complete. Wind, dust, and leaves swirled around him. A golden halo appeared around his now heavily muscled figure, brighter than Goku's. The Prince looked like a god. Every strand of fur on his tail radiated gold. It uncoiled from around his waist, slow and seductive, like a snake. Goku was shocked.

The two Super Saiyans floated in the air for a while, as the reality of the situation settled in. This was going to be no quick and easy scuffle and they both knew it.

What's worse, Vegeta had his tail. If he wanted or needed to, he could use it. How powerful could he become with a simultaneous Super Saiyan and giant ape transformation? Could he go ape at all while in Super Saiyan form? Goku had no way of knowing and that was unsettling to the Z fighter.

In spite of Vegeta's achievement, Goku was not about to back down on his mission to rescue a helpless child and reunite him with his grieving mother. The whole Z gang was counting on him. He was Bulma's only hope.

The weather disruptions abated in the wake of the transformation. The royal guards were astonished as they peered out from behind their shelter. They glanced at each other with wonderment and then back to the Super Saiyan Prince. They beamed with optimism, relieved that their side actually stood a chance against the extremely powerful foe.

Vegeta blinked a few times and then smirked. "So," he began, "any second thoughts about what you're doing here, Kakarott?" Vegeta snickered in satisfaction at Goku's more humbled demeanor.

Goku closed his mouth and his face hardened once more. Of course he would not back down. What a naïve thing for Vegeta to say. "Nope. No second thoughts. I've got a job to do and I'm not leaving until it's done."

"Or until you're dead," added Vegeta, amused. "Whichever comes first, right?" He snickered some more. Goku showed no reaction.

"Either way, this won't be as easy as you thought, will it?" Not waiting for a reply, Vegeta snapped a finger for the guards. "Feldspar!" Vegeta addressed the shorter of the two by name. The soldier came forward and Vegeta whispered something in his ear. Feldspar bowed and obediently flew off to do the Prince's bidding. Peridot the taller guard remained behind.

Vegeta did a few quick stretches, keeping an eye on Goku. Goku gazed back, rolling his eyes at the Prince for stalling. The Z fighter had a multitude of questions he wanted answered, but he knew well enough to hold his tongue.

"Alright, Kakarott," Vegeta said, getting into fight mode, "you ready for a lesson?"

"Lesson?" Goku inquired, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Yeah, I'm going to _teach_ you," Vegeta said, throwing a kick into the air for emphasis on the word 'teach,' "some good old-fashioned Pellucian respect for royal and paternal rights."

"Pellucian?" Goku blinked in curiosity.

"Yes, idiot. Pellucian. We are on Planet Pellucid. If you'd done your homework, you'd know that," derided Vegeta. He flashed a grin. "Ready for your lesson?"

"I'll settle for a debate," Goku shot back.

"I won't. The boy belongs to me. He is my heir. Nobody questions that fact around here. Except you and you will soon regret it. I'll make an example of you. I ought to kill you just for coming to Pellucid without an invite, let alone threatening to place your grubby, peasant hands on the young Prince. That is inexcusable." Vegeta's eyebrows lowered in warning as he brandished a fist threateningly. "You have absolutely no right and I will make you pay for your shameless audacity."

Goku gritted his teeth. "What about Bulma's rights? This isn't about me, Vegeta!"

"It's not about you? Even though you're the one playing the role of policeman, jury, and judge all in one, huh? We don't need you for that around here. We already have such services. And as for the woman, she has no rights to the boy. Not by Pellucian law nor by common principle."

"You don't get to decide what's right and wrong based on your own selfish desires, Vegeta!" Goku bellowed.

"Do you just want to chat or do you want to get this over with? I'm dying to get rid of you, and an argument can go on forever, whereas battles are much quicker. A fact that is _very_ much to my liking," Vegeta said, clenching a fist.

"You started this chat, Vegeta," replied Goku.

"You continued it," added Vegeta.

"As did you!" Goku shot back.

"Shut up and fight me, punk. I'm ending it. Now!" Vegeta growled, uppity for the battle to continue. "With _this_!" The Elite threw an energy blast at the third-class warrior to get him on his toes again. It worked. Goku sucked in a breath and teleported off to the side just in time.

The Earth Saiyan remained floating in the air after dodging the attack, waiting for a second assault. None came.

"Well?" Vegeta spoke up.

"Well what?" Goku replied, confused.

"Aren't you going to attack me?" inquired the royal.

"I was waiting for you to attack me."

"You're the one who wants something. So you should be on the offensive," contended the Prince.

"You don't want anything?"

"Only for you to leave my family and I in peace."

"No can do." Goku disappeared and reappeared behind Vegeta and swung his leg around, dealing the unsuspecting man a hard kick to the side of the head. Vegeta whizzed past the remaining guard and collided with the boulder he had been hiding behind only a few minutes prior. The soldier cringed both from the impact and from knowing how dead the Saiyan traitor would be as soon as the Prince got his senses back.

Dust swirled around the site of the demolished stone. Not even giving it time to settle, a very pissed Vegeta flew out of the cloud and swiped at Goku with his fist, missing at first, but then nailing him in the abdomen with a well-timed kick.

The golden-orange warrior flew back a few meters and held his stomach in pain, coughing and gasping to breathe. Meanwhile Vegeta wiped at a rivulet of blood flowing out of a cut on his temple from the other man's kick.

After a brief moment of recovery and assessment, they were at it again full force, kicking, punching, blocking, dodging, kneeing, pounding, and jabbing in a typical high-flying, super-powered martial arts battle fifty feet or so in the air.

Their Super Saiyan movements were too fast for Peridot to keep up with. They were moving at such incredible speeds that he could not even see them. Every now and then he could momentarily spot a foot or fist or feel a quick, unnatural breeze, but otherwise the meadow seemed deserted. Never in his life had he witnessed such incredible power. He had heard the rumors of the warrior who killed Frieza, a fighter with incredible, unmatched strength. But nobody seemed to know who it was exactly. The guard guessed it could easily have been one of these two fighting before him.

The battle continued for hours until dusk came and the two suns in the maroon-magenta sky were on the horizon, one already half-disappeared into night.

It appeared that the two fighters were evenly matched—punch for punch, kick for kick. They could not defeat each other and the battle was bound to go on until both were too tired or injured to continue. The fight and its two participants began to slow down considerably to the point that Peridot was able to watch and see what was actually going on.

Both fighters were bloodied, broken, and bruised from head to toe as a result of the long battle. Their clothes were shredded and stained. Goku's outer gi shirt was entirely gone and all that remained was the dark blue undershirt. Vegeta's left boot was ripped open and his toes were showing. Goku had a gash across the left side of his face. Vegeta had a broken nose.

Goku made another attempt on Vegeta's tail, and Vegeta was pissed. He stomped down on Goku's shin, snapping the bone and provoking a pained cry from the injured warrior. Vegeta laughed cruelly, and crushed harder, making the man shriek in agony.

The Prince was so frustrated that he was becoming ruthless, wanting to end the fight and his nemesis for good. Yet still, he held back. Peridot wondered if pride alone could be the reason that the Elite had not resorted to using his glimmering appendage yet. The Saiyan royal family had been legendary for a pride that knew no bounds, so it would not be a surprise.

Vegeta flew back a few yards to catch a breather when the other fighter was down. While he was almost desperate enough to use his tail, he suddenly remembered that he still had one more ace. He feared going ape would make him seem like a coward or a quitter. He had a healing reputation to worry about, plus his pride simply would not allow it.

The Prince began secretly forming his last-ditch plan to end the stalemate battle once and for all. Vegeta coughed, wiped his face, and spoke up. "Alright, Kakarott, I'm giving you one last chance to take back all those idiotic things you said and leave. If you don't, it will mean your death, and that of your friends, family, and entire planet as well. I highly suggest you take the bargain—leave now and I'll leave you and yours alone. You have my word as Prince."

Goku coughed up some blood. "I'm not leaving without Trunks!"

Vegeta growled in anger. "It's a fool's errand, Kakarott!" he exclaimed. "You're endangering your entire planet over this? I don't understand." Vegeta wondered if the Earth Saiyan thought he was bluffing. In the back of his mind, even Vegeta himself was not sure.

"Hand over Trunks and I'll leave," Goku asserted, still with determination.

"You will not lay a hand on my child! How did you feel when Radditz tried to take your son, Kakarott?" Vegeta snapped angrily.

"That's different. I never stole him from his mother in the first place," retorted Goku.

"Perhaps your mate is entitled to be Gohan's mother. The blue-haired shrew is not so worthy," Vegeta hissed, panting.

Goku saw red at the harsh comment and shot an energy blast at Vegeta, knocking him to the ground. He was not about to tolerate such insults directed at his lifelong friends. "You talk about Bulma like that again and you're dead, Vegeta!"

Vegeta grunted in annoyance and sat up, rubbing his head.

"Besides, I thought you said all children belong to their fathers," added the Z fighter.

"That is the law on this planet and I agree with it," Vegeta stated with an air of certainty, rising shakily to his feet.

"Then why is Gohan an exception? What makes Chi Chi so great?" Goku inquired, not understanding why Vegeta would discriminate between Chi Chi and Bulma.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Who's Chi Chi?"

"My wife," Goku replied bluntly.

Vegeta appeared to draw a blank at the word 'wife.'

"Gohan's mother," Goku added, rolling his eyes.

"Oh," replied Vegeta in realization. "Yes, I believe she may be more entitled to motherhood than the blue-haired wench. Most women are."

"Why?" Goku asked again.

"That's not really any of your business, but I suppose I might tell you anyway," said Vegeta, folding his arms. "Did this 'Chi Chi' want a son before she had one?"

"Uh, I think she did. Why?" Goku had no idea what the aim of Vegeta's question was.

"How about you? Did you want one?" Vegeta added, curiously.

"I never thought about it. Why?" Goku asked again, this time with more irritation apparent in his voice at Vegeta's refusal to answer his question.

"So was your brat's birth an accident or on purpose?" asked Vegeta.

"What do you mean?" said Goku, scratching his bloodied head.

"Did you have him intentionally or not? And what about your mate? Did she have him intentionally or not?"

"I think Chi Chi was probably trying to have a baby. For me, he just showed up. Not that I regret it. Why?" Goku began, starting to get suspicious of where the interrogation was leading.

"So do you think your mate is more entitled to parent Gohan than you are?"

"Huh?" Goku's brow crinkled in confusion.

"Let me put it this way: If you and your mate were to break up for whatever reason, who would your son live with? You or her?"

"I'd never survive without her," replied Goku, with honesty.

"Just think theoretically for Kami's sake!" A vein on Vegeta's forehead looked like it was about to explode.

"Okay, okay… I guess with her," Goku said, finally giving in to Vegeta's cross-examination.

"Why?" inquired Vegeta.

"Because that's what our laws say. When a husband and wife break up, the kids almost always go with the mother."

"Okay, and is that just in your opinion? Should the brats have to go with the mother?"

"Yeah. Why?" Goku replied after a short pause, uncertain.

"How about if the mother didn't want them in the first place and the father did. Then who should they live with?"

"Vegeta, I'm confused. I'm not sure what you're getting at."

"Just answer the question, you idiot! I can't tell if you're living by what you actually believe is right or by what the laws on your planet are. There is always a degree of separation between legality and ethics, on all planets with advanced beings," asserted Vegeta.

"Huh?"

Vegeta slapped his forehead, chastising himself for using such complex sentences to communicate with a simpleton. "Ah, forget it! You're obviously too stupid and self-righteous to understand anything even remotely intelligent. Yet you have no problem forcing your hypocritical dogma on others. You're worse than the Catholic Church!"

"There's nothing self-righteous or hypocritical about thinking kidnapping is wrong," Goku replied decisively.

Vegeta snorted. "That's another problem with you, Kakarott. The universe is black and white in your eyes. You think everything is so simple, so clear. But it's not. You cannot see nor comprehend moral complexity," Vegeta said, growing more critical.

"Th-that's not true, Vegeta!" Goku retorted.

"Yes, it is! If you think it's wrong to separate a mother and child under any circumstance, then you're a fool!"

"What do you mean?"

"Is separating a mother and child _always_ wrong, regardless of the situation?"

"Situation?"

"Yes. Say if the mother tries to harm or kill the offspring. Is it still wrong to separate them, even if it saves the brat's life? Like I said, you think everything is cut and clear. You're nothing but a simplistic lout."

At the bewildered look on Goku's face, Vegeta screamed his frustration. The discussion was a lost cause and Vegeta knew it. He decided it was time to end the stalemate. He readied his final attack and gathered all the energy he had left into the palms of his hands. "Enough, Kakarott! It's time for you to die."

Goku was visibly confused by Vegeta's argument and he was still trying to recover from the last attack when Vegeta threw his final blast.

"Big Bang Attack!" Vegeta bellowed at he released an enormous amount of energy, everything he had left.

"V-V-Vegeta!" Goku's eyes went wide in panic, as he turned to flee.

The blast would have surely been a direct fatal hit if Goku hadn't attempted to get out of the way in time. Instead it only impacted his lower body and sent him flying at light speed into a patch of forest, leaving a smoldering crater where a group of alien trees with pink and violet foliage had been seconds earlier.

The exhausted Prince flew over to the spot where Goku had fallen. The Earth Saiyan lay in the pit unconscious and back in his original form, a complete mess of a fighter. It would have been easy to finish the idiot off if not for a hint of guilt that stayed the deed. Vegeta hovered for a while, looking at the battered form, almost wanting to attack, yet holding back.

After a few minutes of trying to decide what course of action to take next, the larger man seemed to rouse. A groan let Vegeta know just how much pain the other Saiyan was in. The Prince turned away slightly, in thought.

Once Goku's vision cleared, he noticed the royal hovering near him, looking off into the distance with a solemn bearing on his face. "Ve… Vegeta?" the Z fighter rasped, one of his eyes swollen shut. He started trying to push his body up off the ground and hissed in pain. The smaller man did not reply for a few long moments, but finally turned his head back to Goku.

"Go home, Kakarott. And never come back. I've been too generous so far. Leave before I change my mind." Vegeta clenched one of his fists.

When Goku's mind cleared, he realized he couldn't fight anymore. He was broken in body. His spirit and mind were not unaffected. He didn't understand the feelings of self-doubt stirring in his heart. They had never been there before.

There was just one thing that prevented him from doing what Vegeta said and going back to Earth. "Bulma will be furious. And so will Chi Chi. I can't go back empty-handed," he uttered. When he realized he'd said his thoughts out loud, he wanted to slap himself.

But Vegeta's response was not cruel. "It's not your fault, Kakarott. You tried."

"That's not good enough," Goku shot back. "I've never failed Bulma before!"

"Why are you trying to impress that wench?" Vegeta spat, furious that a fellow Saiyan would be at the beck and call of such a pitiful being. He could relate little to Goku's desire to please people. King Chrystla was one of the few people in the universe with an opinion Vegeta valued.

"It's not just her. It's all of them, all of my friends will think I'm a failure!" Goku added, eyes growing wide.

"They are all bigger failures than you will ever be! Why are you so concerned about what they think anyway? Is it really that important? You're acting like the woman getting her hands on the boy is a matter of life and death for you. I don't understand why the bitch can't just have another brat if she is so damn desperate for one! I left her womb well enough intact."

Goku looked angry for a second. "You don't understand the bond between mother and child at all."

Vegeta scoffed. "I had a mother once you know. Don't say such ignorant things. You only make yourself sound even stupider than you actually are," said Vegeta, surprisingly little venom in his voice. He turned away and crossed his arms.

Goku gazed up at Vegeta with his lips slightly parted. After a while, he had to swallow a lump that had formed in his throat from the royal's admission.

Moments later, Vegeta heard Goku utter a whimper and glanced over his shoulder.

"I don't know how I'm going to face them," Goku mewled.

Vegeta felt compelled to give his foe some royal advice. He turned back to Goku. "You need to change your attitude, Kakarott. Act like a Saiyan. You are not a slave to expectations!"

"I'm still scared, Vegeta."

"We always are when forced to rebel for the first time. But we face our terrors nonetheless. That's what makes us warriors." Vegeta hid his surprise at Goku's revealing so much vulnerability all at once, if only to pay back the favor from Namek.

"It's not just me. I feel bad for Bulma."

"Don't! She deserves what she got!" Vegeta spat.

Goku blinked. "Why? What are you talking about?"

Vegeta bit his lip and quickly covered up with a "Nothing! Don't worry about it, Kakarott!" in response. "Why don't you go home now? You must be hungry."

Goku paused awkwardly, then whispered, "I wish there was a way to give you both what you want." He frowned. "I know he's your baby, too, Vegeta. I really do. It's just that I hate to see families torn apart. It's so sad."

"It's not your problem," Vegeta retorted, trying to get Goku's mind off it so he would finally go. "Please leave. I'm tired and hungry and I know you are, too!"

"All right," Goku acquiesced, bowing his head in shame. "Bye, Vegeta."

"Bye, Kakarott," Vegeta replied, almost in a whisper.

Goku put two trembling fingers to his temple and then disappeared into thin air. Vegeta sighed with relief. His heir was no longer under threat. Now he could finally get back to his life and plans for the future. With that, Vegeta finally succumbed to his injuries and passed out cold. Peridot dutifully carried him back to the palace.


	3. Chi Chi with Child

Chapter 3: Chi Chi with Child

"Now don't you worry about that creep, Bulma. My Goku's taking care of him. I promise your baby will be just fine. You'll see, sweetie. A few more hours and he'll be back in your arms. Just wait," Chi Chi told her blue-haired friend in a soothing tone while offering her a warm cup of green tea.

"No thanks, Chi Chi," Bulma politely refused, plucking another tissue out of the box on her lap.

Gohan sat in the corner trying to write a biology paper, only to find that he was inevitably distracted by the noise the women were making. "Hey, Mom, can I go to the school library to study?" he implored.

"It's too late, Gohan. The library is almost closed." Chi Chi took a sip from her teacup and let the warm liquid slide down her throat.

"When is Dad getting back? He's been gone for hours," Gohan groaned, getting edgy. He put down his pen, repeatedly finding his attempts to focus futile.

"I honestly have no idea, honey. I certainly hope he gets back soon, though," Chi Chi replied, getting up to cook Gohan his usual late night snack.

"I wish we could've sent him earlier." Bulma sighed, recalling how she had been unable to find the Son family when she had needed them two weeks ago. As it turned out, they had gone to visit Chi Chi's extended family.

"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry we forgot to leave our contact information before we left, Bulma. I'm the one who should've thought of that. If only I'd been thinking," Chi Chi lamented, feeling negligent.

Bulma sighed again, sneaking a glance at Chi Chi's belly and trying not to let her green-eyed monster loose.

"So do you know what you're going to name him?" Bulma asked in a pleasant tone of voice. She hoped that acting optimistic might make her feel optimistic, too.

Before Chi Chi could answer, her attention was diverted by a loud knock on the door.

"I wonder who that could be at such a late hour," Bulma thought aloud.

Chi Chi shrugged and stood up. Then she casually sauntered over to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open, gasping at the sight befallen her.

"Goku!" Chi Chi exhaled in surprise as he collapsed at her feet, unable to hold himself upright any longer.

Bulma perked up. "Goku's back?" she hollered with excitement, scrambling up from the couch and sprinting over to the front door at top speed. "Goku! Goku! Where's my baby? Where's Trunks? Tell me, Goku!" she cried frantically, nearly tackling the injured warrior.

"I… I couldn't…" Goku rasped, his face white as a ghost's. It had been about thirty minutes since the fight had ended. Due to his injuries, Goku's aim with his instant transmission had been terribly off. It was a wonder he had been able to find his way home at all. Chi Chi could see that her husband had lost a lot of blood and his condition was not good.

"You couldn't what?" Bulma inquired, expectantly.

Goku passed out before he could answer.

"You couldn't _what_?" Bulma shrieked, shaking the unconscious man.

"Oh, no! What did that horrible monster do to my poor, sweet Goku?" Chi Chi cried. She wedged herself in between her husband and Bulma, cradling him in her arms.

"Do we have any senzu beans?" Bulma asked instinctively, wanting to bring Goku back to his senses as soon as possible. She intended to interrogate him as to the whereabouts of her missing newborn and her patience was running short.

"They are out of season," revealed Chi Chi. "We'll have to use the regeneration tank at Capsule Corp."

Bulma nearly cursed. The regeneration tank would take so much longer than a senzu bean. She wanted the answers to her questions badly.

Gohan dashed over with a look of panic on his face. "Oh, no! Is my daddy okay?" He kneeled down beside his parents and took his father's hand in his. "Thank Kami, he has a pulse!" The demi-Saiyan looked around and added, "And where's the baby? I thought you said Dad was coming back with Bulma's baby, Mom."

Gohan's innocent observation pushed Bulma over the edge and she burst into tears again. She sank to the ground, hiding her face in her hands as she wailed.

"Gohan, pick your father up and bring him to the car. We're going to Capsule Corp," Chi Chi instructed, rubbing Bulma's back briefly. The young genius stood up slowly and tried to compose herself.

Gohan promptly obeyed and carried Goku over to Bulma's yellow Ferrari. Chi Chi helped him gingerly deposit the man in the back seat.

"Vegeta didn't do this, did he? I'll kill 'im!" Gohan swore, seething.

Bulma shuffled over, looking depressed. "I can only imagine what state Vegeta must be in. Looks like it was a pretty nasty fight," she muttered, sniffling.

"I don't care if Vegeta got beat up, too. I'm still going to kill him! He hurt my daddy," Gohan retorted. "And he stole your baby. Why would you have any sympathy for that jerk? He's just a selfish, heartless monster!"

"I don't know," Bulma murmured. "I thought I loved him." She entered the driver's side and shut the door behind her.

"Are you sure you should drive, Bulma dear? Since you're so upset right now?" inquired Chi Chi. "I wouldn't mind at all."

Bulma quickly wiped her eyes. "I'm okay, Chi Chi. I am. I can make it to Capsule Corp. Come on, get in and let's get going." Bulma unlocked all the doors and Chi Chi got in next to Bulma and laid her purse next to her thighs. Gohan got in the back seat and cradled his father's head in his lap.

Bulma sped along the highway like a bat out of hell, making the trip to Capsule Corp short indeed. Chi Chi kept asking her to slow down because of the injured passenger, but Bulma would speed up whenever the other woman's attention wandered, egged on by the need to hear the news Goku had to report on the baby front.

Once they arrived, Gohan carried his father to the anatomy science lab of Capsule Corp, wherein the regeneration tank was stored. With Chi Chi's help, Bulma dusted it off and put it on the proper settings. Soon Goku was suspended in a warm healing fluid.

Bulma, Chi Chi, and Gohan waited in the living room while Goku recovered, watching TV and trying to get their minds off of things.

Mrs. Briefs strolled in and offered everyone some hot chocolate in light of the chilly weather. Winter was well on its way in West City. Everyone refused the offer except Gohan, who was apparently getting the munchies.

"Hey, Mom, I'm hungry," Gohan indicated, trying not to sound whiny. He took a sip from his mug of hot cocoa and swirled the melting marshmallows around with his spoon.

Bulma gasped and turned to Gohan's mother, who was knitting on the couch. "Chi Chi, you didn't leave the oven on, did you?"

"No, sweetie," replied Chi Chi calmly, fully attentive to her needlework. "I remembered to turn it off. I'm always careful with things like that." She appeared to be working on a Christmas scarf.

"Hey, Mom!" Bulma called into the kitchen.

"Yes, sweetums?" chirped Mrs. Briefs, banging around a few pots and pans.

"Gohan's hungry. Do we have anything?" she asked without looking up from her _Chic Mom_ magazine again.

"Why, yes. I believe we do, Princess. Gohan honey, what would you like?"

"Do you have anything with beef?" Gohan inquired, very interested indeed.

"I can make you a few hamburgers," offered the kind blond woman.

"Yummy!" said Gohan, his mouth watering.

"Anything for you ladies?" Mrs. Briefs addressed her daughter and the dark-haired woman. Chi Chi shook her head amiably and continued her knitting.

"No thanks, Mom. I can't even begin to think about food at a time like this," replied Bulma.

"Poor dear. Can't I get you anything?" asked Mrs. Briefs.

"Maybe an Advil might help. I'm starting to get a headache," Bulma said, rubbing her temples.

"Absolutely! Just a moment, schnookums." The blond woman turned on a heel, strolled back into the kitchen, and began perusing the medicine cabinet.

Chi Chi sighed. "How much longer will this take? I'm worried about my Goku. He's been in that tank for an hour already."

"At least five more hours, Chi Chi. Better than a month-long hospital stay, though," replied Bulma.

Gohan chimed in, "It sure is. I can tell you that from personal experience." He recalled his days in the hospital following the battle with Vegeta and Nappa. Hospitals certainly frightened him. Although they bothered his father even more—a fact well known by every member of the Z squad.

Dr. Briefs suddenly entered the living room with briefcase in hand, back from a long day working in the lab. "Has my grandson returned yet?" he inquired aloud.

Bulma broke down and started to sob her heart out again. Gohan slapped his forehead and Chi Chi let out a sigh.

Mrs. Briefs ran to Bulma's side and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, giving her a soothing back rub. "Oh, dear," she whispered to her husband. "It probably won't be a good idea to mention little Trunksy-poo around Bulma-kins for awhile."

"Oops," replied Dr. Briefs with an embarrassed smile. He put a hand behind his head. "Terribly sorry, my dears."

"My baby," Bulma squeaked, clenching her fists. Streams of tears leaking down her pretty face. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them. Burying her face in them, she bawled bitterly.

"Oh, angel bunny cupcake puppy pie," her mother crooned. "I'm sure Vegeta dear didn't mean any harm. He didn't mean any harm, buttercup."

"I miss my baby, Mommy. I want him back in my tummy," Bulma squeaked. Lying down on her side across the couch, she put a hand to her stomach and reminisced on the final days of her pregnancy. The energetic baby's movements and her lullabies remained etched in her memory, even haunting her dreams. Her rational mind understood the child's absence, but her heart and soul did not.

"Mommy knows, honeybuns. Mommy knows," her mother replied, giving her a quick hug before returning to the kitchen to finish cooking Gohan's meal.

…

King Chrystla stood before the regeneration tank in the palace infirmary, patting his full abdomen. This section of the castle was by the royal training grounds, where guards were often injured and in need of treatment after drills. Chrystla loosened his night robe around the middle for greater comfort.

"How is he?" inquired the King, keeping an eye on the dormant Saiyan suspended in the healing fluid.

The physician on duty checked the monitors, noting that all of Vegeta's vital signs were normal. "His Highness Prince Vegeta needs another hour or so, my Lord, but he will recover shortly."

"I suppose we'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happened today," divulged the King to his escort, the elegant Queen Bijou.

His mate was a lovely woman by all Pellucian standards. She had long dark purple hair, bejeweled with numerous sparkling accessories, light violet skin, a fine figure, deep cerulean orbs, and long lashes. She was also an excellent co-ruler, beloved by the people, without whom the King would never be able to rule even half the planet. "That was some powerful warrior who showed up today. We're lucky Prince Vegeta was able to take care of himself. I'm glad we didn't underestimate him like those fools at the Patissian Empire Convention."

The King chuckled at his mate's keen observation. "I know. Usually only peasants assume that a bereaved royal becomes one of them. It's such a boorish notion. Anyone as highborn as the Visduchess of Belekoy and the Margrave of Galetta ought to know better."

"Indeed," answered the Queen. "Blue blood does not turn common unless the royal gene pool is diluted by generations of ignoble procreation."

Chrystla put a hand on Bijou's shoulder. "Just think, dear. Picture how mortified the Paties will be in a few short years when Vegeta publicly inaugurates the new empire and ratifies the Charter of Cosmic Accord. They'll be squirming in their seats."

Bijou grinned up at him as he ran his hand along her delicate jawline. "That sounds delicious." They paused for a kiss.

After drawing back, Bijou let out a blissful sigh. "Our people have been so jubilant in the wake of Frieza's downfall. It's a wonder we survived his reign at all. Everything would have been lost for us long ago had it not been for the late King Vegeta."

"I know, he sacrificed his own for ours," agreed the King. "And I plan to repay him in kind."

"The traitors in Relish Court have been spreading rumors that he was a degenerate and a true ally of Frieza," added the Queen. "And they seem to be getting away with it, too. What are we going to do?"

"Their time will come, my love. We must be patient." Chrystla watched as the Queen rested a hand on the thick glass of the regeneration tank, looking in. He cleared his throat. "The Saiyans were a noble warrior race, and they lived by their vows to protect their allies. King Vegeta only befriended Frieza to protect his empire and ours from that maniac. While the effort turned out to be misguided and futile, he did what he thought best for his people. He was a good man and a good warrior. And with our guidance, Prince Vegeta will be an even better leader than his sire."

"I can't even begin to imagine the horrors he must have lived through under Frieza," lamented the Queen, gazing at the submerged warrior. She sucked in a breath and turned to her mate, smiling optimistically. "A new age is dawning. We must be well rested for its arrival."

"Indeed, Vegeta will regale us with the tale of his crusade in the morning," declared the King. "To sleep!"

"Yes, I'm exhausted." Bijou's eyes sparkled in the beam of half-light from the hall as she let out a soft yawn.

And with that the Pellucian royal couple left the infirmary, accompanied by palace personnel as usual.

…

Five hours passed and soon it was sunrise. Chi Chi started to yawn and rub her eyes and Gohan fell asleep on the couch, face buried deep in a comic book. As for Bulma, she went to the lab and started pacing in front of the regeneration tank, unable to get all the anxiety out of her head. She side glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 6:30 in the morning and Goku only needed another hour. Bulma was getting uppity for the answers to her questions.

"Come on, Goku," she urged in a low voice, fidgeting and pacing some more.

The time seemed to pass so slowly, but finally an hour later the buzzer went off and got Bulma's attention while she was dozing. Goku appeared to be asleep as the tank started to drain. In reality, he was wide awake and in complete dread of facing Bulma and the others. He considered pretending to be exhausted in hope they would let him rest. Then again, knowing Bulma, she probably wouldn't.

Bulma ran to get Chi Chi and Gohan, who both jumped up despite their sleepiness and followed her to the lab. By the time they got there, the tank was already half-emptied. Once finished, it opened automatically.

"Goku honey?" Chi Chi murmured, the first to speak. "Are you okay, dear?"

Goku looked groggy. He rubbed his eyes and started to get out of the tank with his wife's assistance. "I think I'm okay, Chi."

"Goku, what happened?" asked Bulma, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Well," murmured Goku, reluctant.

"Where's my baby?" she squeaked, almost afraid to hear the truth.

"And where's Vegeta?" added Chi Chi, speaking the royal Saiyan's name with a distinct tone of disgust.

"Hold on, guys. Can't I change clothes first? I feel really soggy," pleaded Goku. "Then I'll answer all of your questions. I promise."

"Here." Bulma tossed him some fresh clothes and he went into the restroom to change.

He came out in a pair of blue jeans and an orange polo shirt, hands in his pockets. "Alright, guys, you can probably guess that I don't have good news," he finally divulged. Bulma gulped audibly.

"You might want to sit down, Bulma," Chi Chi suggested, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Predictably, Bulma burst into tears again and ran over to Goku, taking hold of his shirt collar and shaking him frantically. "Where's Trunks? Where's my baby, Goku? Tell me! Oh Kami, tell me where he is before I have an aneurysm! Please, Goku!"

"I don't know where Trunks is!" Goku admitted, trying to pry her hands from his neck as he felt his air supply cut short. "Vegeta wouldn't tell me."

Gohan and Chi Chi tried to restrain Bulma. The young genius was on the edge of going completely psycho.

"Bulma sweetie, please calm down," Chi Chi pled in a calming voice.

"Dad, tell us more. What happened?" Gohan inquired, eyeing his father with curiosity.

Goku sat down and gestured for the others to do the same, which they did. "I almost feel like we should have the whole Z team together so I can tell them all what happened at once," said Goku, trying to stall. There was nothing he hated more than being the bearer of bad news.

"We're having a barbecue tomorrow and you can tell everyone then. But you've got to tell us three now!" Bulma charged.

"Okay, well, I did indeed find Vegeta with my instant transmission technique. He's in a place called Planet Pellucid. It's about one and a half weeks away from Earth if you're travelling by space pod."

"Never heard of it," replied Bulma and Gohan in unison.

"I didn't know where I was until Vegeta told me," admitted Goku. "So Vegeta is on this breathtaking planet," he continued, "basically living like royalty." Goku paused. "Well. Correction: He _is_ considered royalty there."

"Royalty? Royalty my ass!" Chi Chi spat in indignation, brandishing a fist in the air. "That scumbag doesn't deserve the time of day, let alone a royal title!"

Goku put up a hand. "I mean it, Chi. He has servants and guards and fancy clothes and everything. When I used instant transmission to find him I ended up in the middle of a giant throne room! It was kind of embarrassing to be honest. All the guards were looking at me like I was there to kill the King or something. It was crazy!"

"Woah," uttered Gohan, fascinated.

"Don't tell me you couldn't handle those guards, Goku!" Chi Chi scolded.

Goku raised an eyebrow. "The guards weren't a problem, Chi. Vegeta took me away from the palace so we could settle our conflict man to man. I mean, I expected him to be willing to fight me himself… but… but I didn't expect him to go _Super Saiyan_!"

"_Super Saiyan_?" shrieked Chi Chi, Bulma, and Gohan all in unison.

"Yeah! I couldn't believe it either," Goku conceded.

"But Dad! I thought you had to be pure of heart to turn Super Saiyan," Gohan protested.

"I guess not," replied Goku with a shrug.

"That doesn't make any sense," said Chi Chi. "How could he turn Super Saiyan? The thought of that… that _monster_ with so much power is frightening and sickening." She shuttered at the thought.

"He's not a monster, Chi Chi," Goku attested. "You ought to know there's some good in everyone, whether they know it or not."

"Goku's right, Chi Chi. He's not a monster. He's just a big jerk," Bulma confirmed. "And by the time I get done with him, he's going to be pork roast! Goku, where exactly is this 'Planet Pellucid' anyway?" Bulma inquired with a look of determination.

"You're not thinking about going there, are you, Bulma?" Goku inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"You're darn right I'm thinking about going there! That's probably where that muscled dork took my baby," charged the fiery blue-haired woman.

"Don't even try it, Bulma! You'll get crushed!" countered Goku.

Bulma cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I could tell the gravity there was at least five times Earth's normal gravity. You'd have to do a lot of training to even be able to survive the descent in a space craft," Goku warned.

"Then train I shall!" Bulma declared.

Goku almost slapped his own forehead. "Even if you _did_ manage to get to Planet Pellucid you'd never get past the royal guards at the palace gate! Plus, there is a law on Pellucid stating that biological fathers own all their children. Women have no rights to their kids. So you can't even try to sue the guy for child custody in their court system. They'd just laugh at you!" maintained the Z fighter.

Bulma suddenly looked psychotic. "Wh-wh-wh-whaaaaaaat? That's the most fucked up…" she screeched, unable to find the right words to express her anger before Chi Chi chimed in.

"How could they have such a terrible law?" derided Chi Chi, putting a hand to her heart.

"It's called patriarchy, Chi Chi," Bulma replied angrily, beginning to pace again. "Gosh, now what am I going to do? I have to think of a plan," she wondered aloud.

"Taking poor little children away from their loving mothers? How utterly awful!" Chi Chi uttered, grabbing ahold of Gohan protectively. Gohan was visibly annoyed.

"That's what I told Vegeta. That it was wrong. Then he called me 'hypocritical' and 'self-righteous'," Goku grumbled.

"Self-righteous indeed!" bellowed Chi Chi. She suddenly had an urge to have the arrogant Prince of the Saiyan race right in front of her so she could violently throttle him.

"That's not self-righteous!" Bulma shouted. "All it is is not-so-common common sense. Not-so-common for _Vegeta_, at least."

"Yeah," agreed Gohan, giving a nod.

Chi Chi was about to ask what Goku planned to do next, but she was cut off by Bulma's further interrogation. "What happened after Vegeta went Super Saiyan, Goku?"

"We fought, is what happened," replied Goku.

"And…?"

"For hours and hours."

"Yes, go on," Bulma encouraged, leaning forward.

Goku put his hand behind his head in the typical Goku fashion, feeling rather fidgety and uncomfortable. "Yeah, hey… look you guys, I admit I'm a little reluctant to tell you all about how Vegeta licked me."

Gohan, Chi Chi, and Bulma simultaneously fell on the floor.

"Heh heh…" Goku laughed nervously. "You see," he continued, "for a while we were in a stalemate, until we got into another argument and Vegeta threw an attack that almost killed me."

"Well you're healed now, so you have to go back!" demanded Bulma.

"What good would that do?" Goku inquired, visibly downbeat. "What makes you think my chances of success will be any better? Oh, and I forgot to mention that his tail grew back, and he didn't even use it in the battle. If I go back he'll get mad and probably use it to finish me off. He also said if he ever sees my face again, he'll blow up Planet Earth. Judging from his history, he just might be serious."

"This is a problem," Chi Chi sighed, putting a hand over her face.

"Ya think?" Bulma snapped at her pregnant friend.

"No need to be rude, Bulma," replied Chi Chi. "I was just thinking out loud."

"No need to tell me how to act, Chi Chi," Bulma spat, pointing accusingly at Chi Chi's pregnant belly. "You don't even have a kidnapped newborn to worry about."

"Hey, now, Bulma! It's not Chi Chi's fault what happened. She's just trying to think of a solution," Goku said, playing the peacemaker as usual.

"Well I've got a solution for you, Goku. Let's send the entire Z squad!" Bulma declared, both fists in the air with enough determination to lead an army into battle.

"What about Earth? If we provoke Vegeta again, he might just destroy it."

"Fuck Earth!" shouted Bulma, unrelenting. "I want my baby back right now!"

"One baby isn't worth the entire planet, Bulma," Gohan retorted, earning himself a deadly glare.

"Well, guys, I don't know what to say," said Goku, scratching the back of his head.

"It looks hopeless," Gohan lamented, head down.

"I'm sure sorry, Bulma," Goku said, trying to offer consolation to his friend.

"If you hadn't let Vegeta live all those times you let him off scot-free, this never would've happened!" charged Chi Chi, glaring at her husband.

Bulma turned fiercely on Chi Chi. "If he'd killed Vegeta, Trunks never would've been born!" she bellowed.

"Well I'm sorry, I've had enough of this agitation, Bulma! If only you had better taste in men! You could have had anyone you wanted on the whole planet with your wealth and looks, yet for some reason you chose _Vegeta_ of all people!"

Gohan grabbed a hold of Bulma as she made to attack Chi Chi. She struggled to get at the black-haired woman screaming obscenities, but Gohan effectively held her back. Chi Chi just turned away from the enraged genius and uttered a "Hmph."

"Attacking Chi Chi won't do any good, Bulma," stated Goku. "It won't make anything better. I wish things hadn't turned out this way, but life is not always fair. Sometimes we have to learn that the hard way."

Bulma's face went ghostly pale. "You… You're not… g-g-giving up on me… are you, G-Goku?" Her blue eyes filled to the brim with tears and Bulma gazed at Goku with those big, sad, puppy-dog orbs.

Goku shrugged sadly, feeling even worse than before. Seeing his pitiful response, Bulma once again burst into tears. This led her to literally throwing a screaming, crying, kicking tantrum the likes of which the Sons had never seen.

Chi Chi promptly seized Goku by the ear and dragged him down the hall as he whined about having his ear pulled. He realized he was in for a serious discussion.

"You, Son Goku, will not enter my house, communicate with my child…" Chi Chi felt a kick in her lower abdomen, "err… children," she corrected herself, "nor eat my food until poor little Trunks is in his crib safe and sound and Bulma is back to her good old self. Do you understand me?" She instructed, staring him down and looking very cross indeed. "I don't care what has to get done. Do it!"

Goku managed to gently pry his wife off his ear before replying. "But, Chi, I tried as hard as I could. I don't understand what you expect me to do." He stepped back and scrunched up against the wall as her displeased gaze bore down on him.

"How is it that you spend up to _twelve hours _a day training and yet you are unable to defeat that little hell-bound ass-troll who attempted to invade Earth not more than a few years ago?" she yelled, bearing her teeth. "I don't understand, Goku. How is that even _possible_?"

"I don't spend twelve hours a day every day, Chi Chi. And Vegeta trains even more than me these days, since you won't let me train as much as I would otherwise. How can you expect me to keep up with him?" Goku insisted.

"You are twice his size, Goku! You have no excuses! And if you're not going to make yourself useful otherwise by, say, getting a job, then you had damned well better excel at what you always waste your time doing anyway!" she hollered, nearly blowing out Goku's eardrums.

"Now, hold on, Chi! I'm not that much bigger than him. And in a battle, it isn't just si… it isn't just… size that… that cou…" Goku's planned response tapered off under the pressure of Chi Chi's icy stare.

His wife just stood there regarding him with her brows furrowed, arms crossed, and her foot tapping at a timely pace on the floor.

"What?" asked Goku, putting a hand behind his head nervously.

She remained staring at him, quite overtly galled, for a few long moments. Then she turned to go, but once she got to the door, she stopped and looked back. "Tomorrow the entire crew is getting together at Bulma's for a barbecue. I'd like to see you tell them the same thing you just told us without putting forth a plan to set things right."

Goku gulped audibly and attempted a nervous smile, which was not well received, so he dropped it. Chi Chi then turned and paced back towards the lab.

Goku's shoulders slumped. _Man…_ he thought. _This is not good. I'm in a really tight spot._ He sighed inwardly and then followed her back to the lab with his head down.

"Come on, Gohan. We're going home now." Chi Chi picked up her purse with her needlework in it and headed for the exit.

When Goku attempted to follow, Chi Chi stopped dead in her tracks, causing both father and son to stop awkwardly too and look at each other, confused.

"Goku," Chi Chi spoke without turning around to face him.

"Yeah, Chi?" Goku answered, unsure of what was going on.

"What did I _just_ say?"

Goku started to get scared. "You s-said I have to come up with a plan to fix things before tomorrow's get-together," he reiterated.

"And what else did I say? I said before Trunks is back in his crib safe and sound, what three things will not be happening?" she inquired very directly, still not turning around.

"Uh…" Goku looked at the back of her head, confused.

After an awkward silence while waiting for an answer (an answer which never came, mind you), Chi Chi abruptly turned and strolled right up into Goku's face so that their noses were hardly a fraction of an inch apart. "One: You will not enter my house. Two: You will not speak with my children." She counted each one off on the fingers of her left hand, keeping her eyes locked with her husband's.

"Hey!" whined Gohan, not liking the sound of that.

Chi Chi ignored him and continued, "Three: You will not eat my food." Then she paused. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, how am I supposed to come up with a plan if I have nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat? My brain needs fuel and rest to function, you know," Goku retorted, suppressing a tone of anger.

"Yeah," added Gohan, "and until Dad's back in the house, you can forget about me studying." The boy stubbornly grabbed a hold of his father's hand. "You can't kick my daddy out of his own house."

"Gohan, this is between me and your father," Chi Chi scolded.

Gohan kept a determined look on his face and a good hold on Goku.

After another long pause, Chi Chi finally relented. "Alright, you can come home, Goku. But you will be sleeping on the couch until further notice. Mark my words!" She locked eyes with him for an extended moment, and then turned to leave.

"I think I can handle that," Goku replied, wiping away a bead of sweat from his forehead.


	4. Goku's Last Ditch Effort

Chapter 4: Goku's Last Ditch Effort

If you have ever been forced to sleep on a cheap old couch, you probably found it to be considerably uncomfortable. If you are a large person, your whole body may not have even fit properly and you may have woken up with cramps from sleeping in strange, unnatural positions all night. That is exactly the fate suffered by Goku the night following Chi Chi's threats.

Our selfless hero tossed and turned most of the night, finding he was unable to attain an acceptable position no matter how hard he tried. Worse than that, his mind was relentlessly plagued by the task he had to do. Even his dreams were invaded by the incessant urge to fix things.

The next morning he woke up to find his bright-eyed nine-year-old looming over him with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice in one hand and a large plate of syrupy pancakes in the other. "Hey, Dad! Did you sleep okay?"

"I guess," murmured Goku wearily, not moving. His eyelids were too heavy from fatigue to stay open for more than a few seconds so he soon found them sliding shut again as he nearly fell back into a state of unconsciousness.

"This is for you, Dad," Gohan said, snapping Goku out of his slumber.

"Oh," Goku mumbled. "Thanks, Son." He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. When he tried to stretch, he felt something pop in his back, sending a sharp pain down his spine. He was quick to take note of the painful crick in his neck as well. Goku groaned in misery as Gohan set the plate down on his lap and the orange juice down on the glass coffee table.

His thoughtful son then returned to the kitchen and came back with his own plate and glass. "I'm excited about the barbecue today, Dad. There's gonna be ice cream, you know," Gohan beamed, plopping down on the recliner.

"When is it again?" inquired the elder, rubbing his eyes with a fist.

"I think it's at noon," Gohan replied, picking up his utensils.

"And what time is it now?" Goku asked, looking around the room in hope of locating a clock.

"It's nine. I'm glad it's a weekend because I got to sleep in," he said, cutting his pile of pancakes right down the middle with a fork and knife.

"Oh boy," Goku grumbled, rubbing his face in an attempt to wake up. "That means I only have three hours," he whispered to himself, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling.

Gohan heard. "Three hours for what?" he asked, shoving in a mouthful of food.

"I, uh, I have a job to do," Goku revealed, taking a hold of his own knife and fork and digging in.

"Oh," Gohan uttered with a tone of concern. "You're… you aren't going to try to fight Vegeta again, are you, Dad?" Gohan stopped eating and looked worriedly at his father.

"Not exactly," Goku replied, unsure of how to explain.

"What are you going to do then?" asked Gohan, probing his father for answers.

"I'm going…. um… I'm going to go talk to Vegeta," Goku stuttered, feeling unsure of his plans and whether or not they would prove fruitful.

"Will that do any good?" Gohan had clearly picked up on his father's insecurity.

"I hope," was Goku's blunt reply.

Gohan recalled Vegeta's genocidal threat. "What's if he gets mad that you showed up again?"

"I'll try really hard not to get him mad," Goku voiced with a shrug.

"How?" asked Gohan, afraid.

"Well, I won't threaten him or anything. That's what he was mad about before. I think," Goku said, unable to come up with a better answer for the time being.

"Be careful, Dad," Gohan warned before he started stuffing his face again.

"I will, Son. So where's your mom?" asserted Goku, welcoming a change of subject.

"She went shopping to get a present for Bulma," divulged Gohan.

"I thought Bulma's birthday was in the summer?" Goku cocked an eyebrow, wondering what his wife was really up to.

"It's not a birthday gift. It's a 'feel better' gift. Like when you get sick, only in Bulma's case she's depressed. You know how people bring you presents to heighten your mood. Mom also feels bad about the fight they had yesterday and she wants to make peace," Gohan explained.

"Yeah," Goku paused. "Gee. Poor Bulma." He sighed.

"What is it, Dad?"

"I hate feeling so…" he paused, sighed again, and then finished, "unable to help."

"I know that feeling," replied Gohan.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I felt that way when the Saiyans arrived and everybody was fighting so hard, but I just got scared," Gohan recounted, recalling the painful memory.

"You were young, Gohan. Don't blame yourself," Goku advised, in all sincerity. Gohan had hardly been five years old at the time, and had been extremely sheltered by his overprotective mother.

"I'm just saying, I know it's not a good feeling, Dad." He paused. "But you're the best! I bet you can think of something. Not all problems can be solved with muscles and agility. Sometimes we have to use our brains."

"That's exactly what I'm thinking, although I don't think I'm very well practiced," Goku admitted.

"That's probably why Mom calls all the Z fighters muscle-heads all the time. I don't think she's right, Dad. I think you're a lot smarter than either of you realize."

"Thanks, Gohan."

"You're welcome, Dad."

After a few minutes of silent dining, Goku stood up with his empty plate. "Well, I better get going. I'll want to be back for the barbecue."

"Where should I tell Mom you went?" Gohan asked, wiping his mouth.

"Err… I'm not sure that my idea will work yet and I don't want to get everyone's hopes up. So… so tell her that I went to meditate in the woods about the situation." Goku paused, and then added, "To try to think of a solution."

"Okay, Dad. If you say so."

"I said so alright."

Gohan laughed at that. "See ya at noon, then?"

"See ya, Gohan." Goku waved goodbye and went to the master bedroom to get dressed.

…

"I know. But I still feel like I've lost one of my best advisors," lamented King Chrystla.

"That kind of treachery is no different than if a friend were to stab you in the back. You have my condolences. The only one I can imagine having experienced greater afflictions would have to be my own father," Vegeta replied.

"Certainly you must've gotten a taste of them," chimed Bijou, seated next to the King.

"I was young. My father was a busy man. He taught me things I would need to know about leading the Saiyan people, but I knew few of his personal struggles. He only shared with my mother for the most part. I'm sure he would've lost his mind without her," Vegeta conceived, thinking back to a bygone time.

"Neither would I maintain reason without you, my jewel," the King chirped, intertwining his fingers with Bijou's. She was visibly charmed by the attention and compliment.

A tiny baby woke up in his cradle, to Vegeta's immediate left. He had a few fuzzy tufts of lavender hair atop his little head and a tail that was the same color as his hair. The child began to fuss, so Vegeta offered him a finger to hold on to for reassurance. The baby's violet appendage coiled around it tightly, refusing to let go. The physical contact soothed the infant and he went back to sleep.

"Your son is becoming more alert each day, Vegeta," the Queen observed, peering into the cradle from across the table.

"That he is," replied the Prince. There was a brief period of silence as Vegeta toyed with his son's feet.

"I can already tell he's going to grow into a great man," asserted the King, giving his consort's hand a quick squeeze.

"And a great king," added Bijou, with encouragement.

"Thank you," replied Vegeta, attention still focused on the child. "Yes, he will certainly be something special."

A servant poked his head in, looking for the King and Queen. "Your Majesties?"

"Yes, Bauble?" acknowledged the Queen, raising her head.

"Your eldest daughter, Her Highness Princess Sapphire, has returned from her trip to the aquatic planet of Wasseria," Bauble informed them.

Vegeta's eyes widened.

"Well, do bring her in please," chimed the King in merriment. He was undeniably pleased, as his daughter had been gone for a full Pellucian year on her travels to other worlds.

The servant promptly obeyed and left to do the King's bidding.

"You remember Sapphire, don't you, Vegeta?" said Bijou.

"Yes, of course. How could I forget the girl that put Tarzanium gum in my hair when I was five?" Vegeta replied, rolling his eyes lightly.

Bijou giggled. "Oh, and Sapphire is going to be charmed by the new addition to your family," she alleged. "She absolutely adores children—the younger, the better."

"Sounds like a typical woman to me," Vegeta conceived.

"I think that would describe her very well," replied the Queen. "She's always primping and fawning over the strongest warriors in the arena."

"Yes, just like her mother did once upon a time," added the King, taking his mate's hand.

"Well, Sapphire is more than welcome to fawn over my son," asserted Vegeta.

"And don't forget," added Chrystla, "she'll undoubtedly be excited to see you again too after so many years."

"I must ask her what Wasseria was like. I hear the aquatic kingdoms are breathtaking. I've forgotten how many there are, though," said Vegeta, looking pensive for a second.

"Seven. And our daughter has visited them all," boasted the Queen. "She'll love to show you her video memoires. It's one of her favorite hobbies."

"My hope is to make allies of the Wasserian leaders," Vegeta admitted.

"If they are as wise as I've been led to believe, then they will seek you out first and befriend you," Chrystla mused. "It would be a very diplomatic gesture and if one comes, the rest are sure to follow."

"Yes, it is a critical time for military alliances in the wake of Frieza's downfall," said Bijou, taking a sip of her authentic Pellucian wine from the rainforests of Luster Bay.

"And you know how we Saiyans enjoy seafood," Vegeta added, leaning back in his chair to stretch.

"Of course. Plus, if you're lucky, Queen Frigida of the Arctic Empire might offer to do ice sculpture work for you as a diplomatic gift. Royals travel from all around the cosmos to obtain an icy monument of themselves from the arctic craftsmen. They are utterly stunning, but hard to keep cold if you happen to live in a warm climate," the Queen explained.

"An ice palace would be stunning, wouldn't it?" contrived Vegeta, conjuring up a mental image.

"Stunning, yes, but also quite freezing I'm sure," judged the King.

Vegeta shrugged. "Sometimes I like the cold."

Bauble came back in and they all turned their attention to him. "Your Majesties, your daughter has declared that she is exhausted and she has gone to her chambers for the night."

"Was she told that Prince Vegeta is here?" inquired Bijou in disappointment.

"No, Your Majesties, we could hardly get a word in with her. She just went straight up to bed."

"It's no problem," Vegeta said to the Pellucian royals. "I can talk to her tomorrow. She must be very tired from the long trip. It would be best to let her sleep."

"Yes, I agree," replied the Queen. "Alright, Bauble, you are dismissed for the day."

"Thank you, My Lady." He bowed to them and left.

"We can surprise Sapphire with you and your son at breakfast," proposed the Queen.

Vegeta grinned. "Can't wait."

…

Goku, now fully dressed, paced back and forth in front of the queen-sized bed in the master bedroom. Every few minutes he would glance at the clock on the dresser, and let out an agitated sigh.

_Man. What am I going to say to Vegeta to keep him from strangling me to death?_ Goku mused in distress, stopping to stare at a patch of carpet for a while.

This was his mental preparation. For the same reason coaches give encouraging victory speeches to their teams before the big game, Goku had to give himself a pep talk before carrying out the possibly suicidal idea he had. _Too bad I don't have a coach,_ he thought. _Other than myself, obviously._

He plopped down on the bed and ran a hand through his hair, frowning at the situation. Then he heard a sound from outside. Goku shot up in a flash and sped to the window, peering out with caution. Chi Chi had just pulled up in her red hover car. She stumbled out with a shopping bag in hand, looking as ticked off and hormonal as ever, and then slammed the car door shut behind her. A large sweat drop trickled down Goku's forehead and his cheeks turned a slight tinge of blue.

_I guess it's time to get going,_ he thought to himself, putting two fingers to his forehead for concentration. _Vegeta, here I come._ And he was gone in a flash.

Goku materialized on the private veranda outside of King Chrystla's and Queen Bijou's royal bedchambers. The two Pellucian royals and their Saiyan guest were pleasantly exchanging words at a fine ruby table in the same eloquent language as before. It was almost sundown (or rather, sunsdown) and the sky was magenta again like at the end of their last battle.

Goku found that he was half-hidden by a red velvet drapery a few feet behind the King and Queen. It was the curtain that marked the threshold between the bedroom inside and the veranda outside. Vegeta was so intent on his conversation with the royals that he didn't even notice the other Saiyan dressed in blue jeans and a pullover—a combination of alien clothes that would make any Pellucian cringe. Goku noted that it was much warmer here than on Earth, where winter was on its way. He was starting to sweat under his warm clothes.

Goku tried to discretely get the Prince's attention. "_Psst_! Vegeta," he whispered, waving to the other man.

For a few seconds Goku remained unnoticed as Vegeta stayed attentive to the conversation between himself and the other royals. Then, suddenly, Vegeta's eyes slowly wandered from his friends to Goku's waving hand, as he finally caught sight of the other Saiyan.

Vegeta abruptly jumped up from his seat, startling his friends, and stared daggers at the trespasser. "You again?" he hissed. "What are you doing here? Get out!" Vegeta shouted, brandishing a fist in the air to ward off the perceived threat.

"Hey, Vegeta, I just wanted to…" Suddenly the young Prince started crying, sensing his father's distress. Goku raised a brow in curiosity. "What's that?" he asked in puzzlement. He peeked over the table and spotted the cradle and small wriggling form swaddled within.

"Stay away from my son!" Vegeta barked, standing over the crib protectively. "Touch him and I will tear you limb from limb, peasant!"

The King bolted up from his seat and shouted for the guards. Bijou ran around the table to help Vegeta defend the child. She picked up the crying baby and cradled him in her arms, holding him protectively and standing behind Vegeta.

Goku put up his hands to calm everyone down. "Hey, look, Vegeta, I'm really sorry to bother you but I just want to talk, honest!" he announced loudly in the uproar. However, no one was able to hear him as the guards charged in. They surrounded the badly dressed intruder with their weapons drawn and ordered him to surrender in Pelluci. He raised his hands all the way up in the air to show his compliance.

Vegeta snarled at him as the guards finished their shouting and quieted down until only the crying baby could be heard. Finally the Prince spoke. "I thought you might have at least half a brain when you surrendered and returned to Earth the other day. I thought I made myself very clear when I said I would destroy you and that mudball you call a planet if you so much as came within a mile of my offspring. How was this not clear to you, you brainless cretin? Tell me how that wasn't clear to you, damn it!" Vegeta spat venomously.

Goku gulped. "Vegeta, I'm not here to fight you. Really, I just want to talk about something. Can we do that? Can we talk in private? Please, Vegeta!" Goku plead, clasping his hands together pitifully. "Please…" he squeaked again as Vegeta's irritated gaze bore down on him.

The Prince's mouth was shut and his brows were furrowed tightly and drawn together. He crossed his arms over his chest angrily and huffed. Goku's eyes remained locked with Vegeta's as the Prince's cape fluttered in the gentle evening breeze.

Vegeta finally spoke up, clearly infuriated. "Am I to take it that you once again invaded the Pellucian palace with no invite, only this time simply because you want a free audience with one of the royals?" The Prince stopped and waited for an answer, tapping his foot angrily.

Goku didn't answer. He just looked down, embarrassed, and gulped.

"You know, idiot, when Pellucian citizens want an audience with the King or Queen, they must wait until a specific time of the day, on a specific day of the week, when commoners are permitted inside a specific wing of the palace and allowed to present their most significant problems and conflicts to the King's representatives, and if they get exceedingly lucky, to the King himself." Vegeta paused, then suddenly bellowed, "You do not enter the palace at your leisure, peasant! That is a _serious_ crime. That's what assassins do. And assassins are very much looked down upon on Planet Pellucid. Are you an assassin, Kakarott?" The Prince tilted his head intimidatingly to the side as he waited for an answer.

"N-n-no…" Goku answered nervously.

"Really?" replied Vegeta, skeptically. "Then what in Kami's name were you thinking by coming here again? Illegally, I might add!"

Goku scrunched up where he was, aware that Vegeta's intention to publicly shame him was working quite well. "Gee, I'm really sorry Vegeta, but I didn't know all those rules and this was the only way I could find you and I really needed to talk to you and I didn't know how else to and I'm really sorry I broke the law!" he squeaked, red-faced.

Vegeta slapped his forehead. "_Fine_, Kakarott, what do you want? And hurry it the hell up!"

"Um, I, um… I…" Goku stuttered, feeling awkward trying to explain himself with a bunch of weapons pointing in his direction. "Err, you see…"

Vegeta put up a hand to silence the other Saiyan. He leaned over to whisper something covertly to the King and Queen, both of whom gave a nod when he was done. Vegeta pushed aside one of the guards surrounding the intruder, grabbed the idiot by his hair, and dragged the fool away.

"Owieee, Vegeta that hurts!" Goku complained.

"Shut up, Kakarot." He turned to two of the guards, both of whom Goku recognized. "Feldspar ibe Peridot. Shim shim." He stalked off pulling Goku behind him and the guards obediently followed.

The two guards accompanied Vegeta and Goku all the way through the bedchambers of the King and Queen, into the royal hall, down the royal hall, down the swirling emerald staircase, past the ivory double-doors of the grand ballroom, down another long hall, and finally to the elegant gilded doorway that composed the entrance to Vegeta's personal bedchambers.

Peridot grabbed a hold of the door handles, both of which were adorned with a swirling combination of gold and onyx, and swung them open, revealing the interior of Vegeta's luxurious bedchambers. The Prince's chambers were smaller and more compact than the King and Queen's, but just as extravagant. The spacious bedroom was draped with sheer gold-threaded curtains. They surrounded the large round bed and marked the threshold leading to the Prince's private veranda. The luxurious bed, like the one in the King and Queen's room, was circular, and not rectangular like Earth beds. It was hoisted about four feet above the ground, taller than the beds Goku was used to seeing. The thick golden comforter was also circular and it fit perfectly on top of the soft mattresses beneath.

Vegeta led Goku into the bedroom, past a small onyx statue of himself in a princely pose, past a large painting of Vegeta as a child with his father and a few other Saiyans that appeared to be family. Finally they were out on the veranda. There was a trendy golden table and a few well-cushioned veranda chairs that matched.

Vegeta pulled out one of the chairs as the guards took their places by the entrance. "Sit, Kakarott." It was more of an order than an offer.

Goku obeyed and settled himself down in the chair, finding it to be luxuriously soft and supportive.

Vegeta sat down across from him. "Alright, Kakarott, what do you want?" Vegeta inquired, actually quite curious.

Goku cleared his throat and sat straight up in his seat. "Well, you see, it turns out that certain people are even more upset than I thought they would be about… you know, me not bringing the baby back. And, um, I was just kind of hoping that I might be able to, well, mend the situation?"

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow skeptically.

"Without doing anything that would upset you, of course," Goku quickly added.

"I thought I told you already that you can't please everyone," Vegeta reiterated, rather annoyed that Goku had brought this up again. He clearly recalled the conversation at the end of their battle.

"And I said it's worth a try, didn't I?" Goku reminded him. "Besides, I don't really have a choice," he whispered mostly to himself, bowing his head.

Vegeta sat back with his arms crossed over his chest, ready to get this over with.

Goku continued, "So, if it's okay with you, there are a few questions I'd like to ask you, if you don't mind. If they're too personal just tell me to shut up, okay. But I need to ask just so I can, you know, come up with a… a solution to the problem. Is that okay with you, Vegeta? You won't be offended will you?" Goku requested cautiously, being careful not to anger the other man.

Vegeta cleared his throat and said, "I can't guarantee an answer, but you are free to ask."

"Okay, thanks, Vegeta!" Goku replied, perking up and putting his hand behind his head in the regular fashion.

Vegeta hated that gesture, but he suppressed his urge to sneer at the other Saiyan. Instead, he stated, "I have just one question, Kakarott."

"Yes?"

"Why, oh why, are you so intent on sucking up to all of your friends? Why worry yourself over something that's not your problem and that you wouldn't be able to fix even if it was? " Vegeta chided.

"Well, you see, certain people are intentionally turning it into my problem," Goku replied.

"Like who?"

"Like my wife Chi Chi," Goku explained with a nervous laugh.

Vegeta looked surprised. "How is your mate turning it into your problem?" He paused. "And _why_?"

"Well," Goku said, laughing again, "she made me sleep on the couch for one…" All Goku got for that was a puzzled look from Vegeta. "You know," Goku explained nervously, "because I failed to bring baby Trunks home."

"Baby Vegeta," corrected the Prince.

"Right. Whatever," Goku replied. "So she made me sleep on the couch, and she almost kicked me out of the house, but Gohan protested so she decided not to do that. So you see… when I have to sleep on the couch, that's my problem. I didn't sleep well at all because of it. And my back hurts a lot. It's a horrible way to sleep. Horrible, Vegeta! And… well, you can see how that's my problem, can't you, Vegeta?" the Z fighter over-explained.

"What the fuck do you mean she _made_ you sleep on the couch?" Vegeta retorted.

"I mean, because I couldn't defeat you and bring home the baby, she didn't let me… you know… sleep in the bed. She said I had to sleep on the couch instead. And our couch is really smallish and cheapish and very much lacking in comfort," he admitted. "And I have to keep sleeping there until I get Trunks."

"Vegeta," the royal corrected again.

"Right."

"So she forced you to sleep on the couch?" Vegeta puzzled over the notion.

"Yes."

"As some type of… of _punishment_?" Vegeta conceived, looking skeptical.

Goku nodded.

"Kakarott."

"Yeah?"

"How old are you?"

"Um, I'm 29," Goku replied, scratching his head.

"So you're not a child, are you?"

"No." Goku looked confused.

"You're an adult. In other words, a fully-grown man. Right? You sure as fuck look like one to me."

"Y-yeah…" Goku wasn't sure where this interrogation was heading.

"If you're an adult, and a Saiyan, then why is some weak, pathetic human female trying to punish you like you're an unruly five-year-old? Answer me that, Kakarott! And furthermore, why are you allowing her to do so?"

"Um…"

"Kakarott."

"What?"

"You were right in saying that you have a problem to fix, but that problem has nothing to do with me or my son. Do you understand me, Kakarott? Your problem revolves around no one other than yourself and your bitch of a mate," the Prince stated bluntly, praying for the message to get through to his subject.

Goku frowned.

"I'm sorry if the truth hurts, Kakarott, but it had to be said. You might even thank me one of these days for being the only one who had the balls to break it to you."

"Well…" Goku hesitated. "Look, Vegeta. I do honestly feel bad for Bulma, too. I want to help fix the problems between the two of you. It's not just for my sake, really it isn't."

Vegeta held up his hand. "Perhaps, but we have a greater problem at hand," announced the royal.

"Okay," whined Goku, exasperated with that subject, "but that's my problem. Please, don't worry about it, Vegeta. I'll handle Chi Chi."

"No, it is not just your problem! The fact that you are allowing a weak, disgusting human female to punish you as she would a child is degrading to the entire Saiyan race as a whole. This is just as much my problem as it is yours," Vegeta pointed out, clearly married to his beliefs.

"Okay, but can we address that later?" Goku groaned, not at all in the mood to discuss his problems with Chi Chi.

"Why not now?" Vegeta snapped in a demanding tone, banging a fist down on the reinforced table between them.

"Because, to be honest, I care more about Bulma's problem than my own. Look, we'll go back to the Chi Chi problem before the day is out. Okay? You have my word," Goku promised, begging.

Vegeta hesitated, and then relented. "Fine, Kakarott. I think you desperately need to straighten out your priorities, but whatever. Have it your way." Vegeta abruptly turned and gave an order to Feldspar in Pelluci. The guard promptly bowed to the Prince and left to do his bidding.

"Thanks, 'Geta," Goku replied once the guard had left.

Vegeta looked slightly annoyed at the stupid nickname but decided to ignore it. "So what do you want to know?" he inquired, helping the discussion move along at a timely pace.

"Well…" Goku leaned back in his seat and lowered his eyes, trying to remember where he was planning to begin. His attention was suddenly diverted when he caught a glance of Vegeta's tail wriggling under the table.

"How did you get your tail back?" Goku suddenly inquired.

Vegeta scoffed. "Please, Kakarott. As if I'd tell you the secret behind the greatest source of my power. Do I look like I was born yesterday?"

"No, it's not that, Vegeta." Goku paused and whimpered a bit. "I just kind of want mine back, too, is all…"

This revelation was news to Vegeta, so the royal cocked an eyebrow skeptically. "You… want your tail back? Then why did you get it removed in the first place?" he asked with a faint tone of outrage.

"I didn't," Goku conceded. "Kami permanently removed it when I was just a kid so he could restore the moon. I told my friends it was my choice, because I didn't want to sound ungrateful to Kami for all the training he gave me."

Vegeta's jaw dropped. "Wh-what?" he hissed. "Did… did he even bother to ask your permission?"

"Of course not. I would've said no. Obviously," Goku retorted.

"What the fu… What in the he… Fucking cosmos, what is it with Earthlings removing other peoples' body parts? Damn it, Kami! They're obsessive about it," Vegeta griped, clenching his fists.

"I don't know," Goku admitted, shrugging. "There's even this weird practice called circumcision where a doctor…"

Vegeta held up his hand, silencing Goku. "I know, Kakarott. And I think it's absolutely disgusting. Now don't tell me you're not even pissed about it?" Vegeta derided, feeling as wrathful as ever.

"I don't know," Goku replied sheepishly, twiddling his thumbs.

"What do you mean 'I don't know'!" spat the enraged Prince. "That's the most pitiful response I've ever heard!"

Goku shrugged.

"Hmph," huffed Vegeta. "Well, maybe if you prove yourself trustworthy in the future, I'll tell you how to get your tail back," he conceded. The Prince was somewhat pleased to learn that Goku was in fact not ashamed of his tail and had been rather fond of it in the past. At least he wasn't in total revile of his Saiyan heritage as Vegeta had previously believed.

Goku perked up. "Really? Gosh. Thanks, Vegeta!"

Vegeta waved him off as Feldspar returned with a servant who had a tray with a large mug on top of it. The mug was filled to the brim with a steaming beverage. Vegeta took the mug and dismissed the servant before taking the first sip. Feldspar retook his place at the side of the entrance, across from Peridot, his partner.

"So, anyway," Goku continued, "on to the Bulma issue."

"Indeed," agreed the smaller Saiyan.

"If I may ask, and with all due respect, why did you take Trunks?"

"Vegeta."

Goku groaned at Vegeta's correcting him yet again. "Vegeta, how am I supposed to tell the difference between the two of you if you have the same name? Isn't that going to get really confusing?" the Z fighter pointed out.

"You can call him 'Junior' if that helps," recommended the Prince. "I had the same name as my father and it wasn't confusing at all. Plus, I was the spitting image of him. My offspring, on the other hand, only resembles me a little bit. It's been a family tradition for fifteen generations, Kakarott. If you get confused that easily then you need help."

Goku sighed. "Okay, so why did you take, um, Junior?" he reiterated, agreeing to the compromise.

"For starters, I want to live with my son so I can raise him to be my heir. But I don't want to live on Earth cause Earth sucks. So I took him with me. I can't train him when we live on separate planets. Nothing personal but I would think that answer would be obvious." Vegeta took another sip.

"Why don't you want to live on Earth?" Goku pried.

"Is that a serious question?" Vegeta asked, staring Goku point blank in the face.

"Yes it is," Goku freely admitted.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "I hate that planet."

"Why?" Goku asked, curious.

"Because it sucks."

"How so?"

"It's full of weaklings. Duh."

"Is that all?"

"No. There's also the fact that you live there."

Goku frowned. "So what?"

"I don't like you."

"Why not?"

"Probably because you're a Saiyan, yet you let weaklings push you around. I find it hard to respect you for that reason."

Goku's face went blank. Vegeta said nothing in response to this. Suddenly Goku exploded, "I was abandoned on Earth as a child! How was I supposed to know how to be a Saiyan? Huh, Vegeta? And why should I even care about being like the people who abandoned me?"

Now it was Vegeta's turn to have a blank face.

"Well?" Goku spouted angrily.

Vegeta shook his head in disapproval. "Kakarott, can't you see that by rejecting your heritage, you're only hurting yourself? You don't have enough self-respect to stand up for yourself against your Earthling mate. And instead of finding the courage to do so, you are making up excuses by blaming us Saiyans."

Goku was speechless. He thought for a minute. Then he stopped. It was too much to think about. "Hm," he finally said. "We keep going off on tangents, Vegeta. I need to be back to Earth at noon, so we'd better stick to the subject from now on."

"If you say so," Vegeta replied, taking another sip from his mug as if nothing had happened.

"So we're clear on why you left the planet with Trunks, err… I mean, um, Junior. Well, maybe there's some way we can make this separate planet thing work," Goku conceived.

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow, unsure of what the other man was getting at.

"How do you feel about giving Bulma visitation rights?" Goku inquired.

"What's that?" Vegeta had clearly never heard the term before in his life.

"It means that she gets to see, um, Junior on occasion. For visits."

Vegeta's eyes widened. "Absolutely not! That wench gets nowhere near my son! Do you understand me, Kakarott? If she gets within a light-year of him I'll blast her ass into the next dimension!" Vegeta bellowed, startling his seated companion.

Goku fell backwards in his seat, but quickly straightened himself and the chair up. "Wh-why not, Vegeta?" he replied, puzzled by the alarming rage.

"That woman is _unfit_. Do you know what that means, Kakarott?" Vegeta hissed, with venom in his voice.

"No," replied Goku.

Vegeta groaned. "I tried to explain this to you during the battle, but you were too stupid to understand then. And I highly doubt you've grown anymore brain cells since."

"I can understand, Vegeta! I'll listen carefully this time, I promise. Please, I need to understand what the problem is in order to fix it," Goku begged, in hope of changing the Prince's attitude.

Vegeta growled in annoyance.

"Please!" Goku pleaded.

"Fine," snapped Vegeta.

Goku perked up. "Thanks, 'Geta! Now, what's the problem with Bulma? Why do you think she's unfit?"

"This is going to take a long explanation. It goes back to when we were mates."

"Uh, huh. Go on," Goku encouraged.

Vegeta stood up and rubbed his eyes, looking exasperated. "Follow me into my chambers, Kakarott," he said. The Prince dismissed the guards and they left.

Goku obeyed and followed Vegeta into his room as soon as Feldspar and Peridot were gone.

"Sit," Vegeta ordered, indicating a very cozy-looking golden-threaded recliner in the sitting room. The new setting was used primarily for more private conversations.

Goku plopped down in the recliner.

"What I'm most worried about is that you won't believe a word of what I have to say, Kakarott. I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!"

"Try me." It sounded like a challenge.

Vegeta paused. "How long have you known this woman, Kakarott?" asked the Prince, pacing back and forth in front of Goku.

"Since I was 11 years old," Goku recalled. "So 18 years or so, I guess."

"Kami," Vegeta whispered to himself, "that's a _fucking_ long time." He rubbed his face with both hands.

"Yup," replied Goku. "We were childhood friends."

"Do you feel you know Bulma well?"

"Yeah, I do."

"What would you say if I were to tell you that this woman is the height the shameful hypocrisy on Planet Earth?" Vegeta crossed his arms and stared Goku down, waiting for an answer.

After a long pause, Goku finally replied. "I'd probably, um, ask why you thought that?"

"You know what? I do think that. I think exactly that for a number of reasons. For one, when the woman discovered her pregnancy, she didn't want the child. Now she claims to be desperate for him," Vegeta snarled.

"So what? She changed her mind." That was a bit of new information for Goku, but he wasn't overly surprised or by any means outraged at Bulma's change of heart.

"Second of all, all of your Earthling friends, that blue-haired wench included, have called me a murderer and a psycho, but…" Vegeta halted in mid-speech. He appeared to be unable to get the rest out, lowering his eyes and seemingly going into a trance.

Goku could tell something was wrong. "Vegeta? What is it? But _what_?"

Staring at the floor, Vegeta whispered something unintelligible.

"Huh?" Goku asked, putting a hand to his ear.

"She tried to have the brat _killed_," he voiced again, speaking up even louder than necessary.

Goku jumped in surprise before a look of absolute horror overtook his entire being. "Wh-wh-_what_?"


	5. The Pregnancy Saga

Chapter 5: The Pregnancy Saga

"You heard me, Kakarott," Vegeta snapped, taking a seat of his own facing the other man.

"Vegeta! What in the…?" Goku wailed, standing up from his chair, eyes wide in shock and doubt.

"I told you you wouldn't believe me!" Vegeta accused, crossing his arms angrily.

"What do you mean she tried to have him killed? When?" Goku cried in a panic.

"About 31 weeks ago," recalled the caped Saiyan, reminiscing.

Goku cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought he was born only two weeks ago."

"Yes, he's two weeks old," Vegeta conceded, unsure of what Goku was getting at.

Goku put a dizzy hand to his head and stared into space, feeling disoriented like he had just woken up from a dream.

"Kakarott?" Vegeta said in an attempt to bring the other Saiyan back to reality.

"I don't get it," Goku said, eyeing the Prince. "How can someone try to kill you before you're born?"

Vegeta almost scoffed. The notion was much easier for him to imagine than it was for his subject. "Easily," came Vegeta's simple reply. "They can have you torn limb from limb and sucked out of the womb in pieces," he explained.

Goku gasped, wide-eyed and speechless.

"Just ask her, Kakarott," replied Vegeta. "She'll probably tell you the truth. She thought it was her right to do such a thing. Not only did she try to slaughter him, but she attempted to justify it _in my face_!" Vegeta shouted the last three words for emphasis. His grudge against his ex was still quite fresh, as Goku could plainly see.

"Vegeta, I don't…" Goku almost didn't know what to say. All he could think to do was find out more information. "Wh-what do you mean? How could Bulma do something like that?" he asked, still in disbelief.

"I don't know," Vegeta murmured, leaning back in the chair and looking up at the domed ceiling. "I suppose she so couldn't stand the thought of bearing the child of an alleged psycho," Vegeta said, making quotation marks with his fingers around the word psycho, "that she simply had to rid herself of said offspring before he even saw daylight. Not that that turns her into a psycho by any means."

Goku remained silent as Vegeta rose to his feet and clenched a fist in anger. "You see, Kakarott? You've been deceived. That woman is so intent on having the boy dead that she tricked you into coming here to allegedly 'save' him from me. She knows I'd never let her kill him, so she seeks to get him away from me by any means possible. A newborn child can't defend itself, you know, so I must defend the boy until he is old enough to protect himself." Vegeta paused.

He let out a breath a moment later and finished, "That's why I told you I won't be letting that psycho-bitch get anywhere near my son." He turned again and plopped back into his chair.

"Vegeta," Goku said with a bit of uncertainty and apprehension, "I don't know about that."

"I know it's hard to believe, Kakarott," Vegeta related. "Bulma is an amazing liar. I bet she acted totally devastated when you failed to bring him back, didn't she? She's just trying to appeal to your soft spot. Holding onto any hope she has that her evil plan might succeed."

Goku stared at the floor.

"I've fallen for her lies, too, Kakarott. I was just as gullible as you," Vegeta conceded after a long silence. "She lied to me about so many things, and then tried to justify her actions so she wouldn't have to apologize. That's another way she's hypocritical," he pointed out, making eye contact with Goku again. "She says I'm an arrogant asshole, but she has too much pride to admit when she's wrong either. And I may have killed people in my life, but I'd never kill one of my own flesh and blood. She tried to kill her own child. What does that tell you about her, Kakarott?"

Goku remained silent for a moment, pushing away thoughts of Radditz. _My flesh and blood._ He shook his head. "Vegeta, I don't get it. I've known her for years and as far as I know, she loves children. It doesn't make any sense that she would ever do anything like that." He ran a hand through his wild hair.

"I know it doesn't make any sense, Kakarott. But have women ever made sense to you?"

Goku had to admit Vegeta had him on that one.

Vegeta bowed his head and lowered his voice as he murmured, "I should've known that she was too good to be true."

"Pardon?" That caught Goku's interest. The relationship between Bulma and Vegeta had been quite a mystery to the Z gang and Goku couldn't help but share their curiosity. "What do you mean, Vegeta?"

The Prince hesitated before answering. "I used to think she'd make the perfect Queen, Kakarott. I wanted so badly for her to be my Queen. In fact, I had plans for this miraculous fantasy life in my head, but like most of my dreams, reality crushed it."

Goku cocked an eyebrow.

Vegeta perceived the other man's confusion. "Let me show you what I'm talking about, Kakarott."

"Okay," Goku replied with a pleasant smile, happy to know that Vegeta was willing to share.

Vegeta walked over to the wall and clicked open the golden cover to a hidden control panel. He took off his white gloves and held them under his left arm as he quickly typed a code. The lights in the room lowered automatically and a 3-dimensional image of a spinning green globe appeared in the middle of the sitting room.

"This is going to be the new Planet Vegeta, Kakarott."

Goku looked on, wide-eyed and stunned.

"This prime real estate used to belong to a primitive race known as the Archayans," he said. "Frieza wiped them out about a year before you killed him. Chrystla and I destroyed the remnants of Frieza's colony and now I have claimed the planet as the future headquarters of my new empire," he explained, admiring the spectacular image.

Goku was speechless again.

Vegeta turned to Goku and approached him, one fist clenched, determined eyes locked with the Earth Saiyan's bewildered ones. "Do you understand what I'm talking about, Kakarott? I am going to rebuild the Saiyan bloodline, only this time I'll make it even better than it was before. And why is that, you might ask? Because unlike my father, I'm not obsessed with keeping the Saiyan gene pool pure. Thanks to you, Kakarott." Vegeta pointed a finger straight at Goku.

The Z fighter almost toppled over in surprise, but steadied himself quickly.

Vegeta continued, "Thanks to you, I've come to realize that racial purity can actually make a bloodline weaker. Your union with a human woman was the catalyst for that. Gohan proves that the Saiyan-human combination is much stronger than a pure human or Saiyan could ever hope to be. It's utter perfection!" Vegeta mused in delight. "And as for the young Prince, I can't wait until he grows up. He's destined for greatness. I just know it. He will carry on my legacy into the future when I am gone, just as I have done for my father. Just as he did for his father before him."

Vegeta's ambition was plain to see, and Goku couldn't help but have admiration for that. The Z fighter remained silent but listened intently.

"So you see, Kakarott," Vegeta continued ardently, "since I'm starting this new empire, I was on Earth for awhile seeking a suitable human woman to serve as Queen to the new Saiyan empire. I thought the blue-haired vixen was perfect. For one, she's a technological genius. That's a trait I certainly wouldn't mind in my offspring. The empire would give her an opportunity to expand her business beyond that humble blue planet. She may think she's rich now, but that's nothing compared to what she could have had as my Queen."

Vegeta seemed to drop into a state of contemplation for a few minutes, as did Goku.

Finally Vegeta spoke up again, but in a less optimistic tone. "Lastly, I thought she'd make an excellent mother for my children. That is where I went wrong, Kakarott." Vegeta's tail swished in agitation. "That had to have been the biggest mistake of my life."

Goku pursed his lips. "I'm sorry that happened, Vegeta."

Vegeta turned his back to Goku and paced back over to the control panel, turning off the image and shutting the panel cover.

What followed was a long period of silence between the two Saiyans, Goku keeping his eyes on Vegeta, and Vegeta looking down, or perhaps at his hand, in deep thought.

Finally Goku heard Vegeta mumble something inaudibly.

"What was that, Vegeta?" Goku asked, curiously.

"She even said she loved me," he hissed, not looking at Goku. After a period of rigid tension the Prince shouted angrily, "But she was nothing but a spoiled, deceptive, infant-murdering witch! How could I have been so fooled?"

"Hey, come on, Vegeta. Don't toil away your time too much trying to figure this out," Goku advised, wanting to help. "People can be a mystery, especially women."

The only response Goku's comment earned from Vegeta was a "Hmph."

"Don't blame yourself either," Goku continued. "At least you were able to save Trunks… err, I mean, Junior."

"Just barely," Vegeta shot back in a low tone.

"Huh?"

"I said, just barely," the Prince reiterated.

Goku looked puzzled.

"Meaning, Kakarott, that I almost failed to save him. He is so lucky to be alive right now."

"What do you mean you almost failed?"

Vegeta sighed, preparing to recount the unfortunate events. "It was about 11 weeks after he was conceived. I remember it well. I could tell it was a boy at the very moment of conception. It happened one night after I'd been mating with the woman for quite a while. I was thrilled," he said, clenching a fist. "It didn't occur to me that the pregnancy might come as a shock to the woman. A bad shock, to be certain." He paused, puzzling over the situation. "But I don't get it, Kakarott! If she didn't want a brat, why did she breed with me in the first place? Normally there is an unspoken agreement that a child is to be expected from such activities. I'm surprised one wasn't conceived earlier!"

Goku moved closer to Vegeta to listen more intently, since the royal was speaking in such a low voice. "Yeah? Go on," he egged, trying not to sound too forceful.

Vegeta huffed. "Ten to eleven weeks later, she woke up one morning with some bad nausea."

_Bulma sat up in bed at 3 in the morning feeling just about ready to spew her guts out. She placed a hand over her mouth and quickly glanced back at her bedmate, the infamous Prince Vegeta, to see if she had disturbed him. He appeared to be asleep, so she got up and went to the bathroom, where she retched the few contents of her stomach into the toilet. It was nothing more than some nasty green bile, which made her feel even more nauseated just looking at it._

_She tried to go back to sleep, as utterly exhausted as she was. She lay there, sick and restless, until the twilight started to gleam through her bedroom window and she felt Vegeta begin to rouse._

_"Hey, Vegeta?" she murmured softly, getting his attention._

_"What is it?" he replied, sitting up and beginning to dress._

_"Are you going to be in the gravity room again all day?" she asked sheepishly._

_"Yes. Why?" he replied bluntly, disinterested._

_"Nothing. It's just that I'm going in to see my doctor and I don't think I'll be the one making lunch today. You'll have to settle for my mom's cooking," she divulged, not getting up herself._

_"I'm utterly heartbroken," he stated sarcastically, pulling on his training boots._

_"I knew you would be." She giggled, catching onto his insincerity immediately._

_"Hmph. I don't have time for your frivolities, woman. I am going to train." He pulled on a sleeveless shirt and left the room._

_"I'll be back for supper!" she called after him, not receiving a reply._

_At four o'clock later that day Vegeta was still in the gravity room when he heard her hover car pull up outside. He stopped doing pushups and walked over to the window._

_A very peeved-looking Bulma slammed the car door behind her and slung her purse over her shoulder. "Damn it…" he heard her mutter._

_Vegeta snickered to himself, thinking how beautiful she was when she was pissed. He was looking forward to finishing training today so hopefully he could get in another very much enjoyable argument with her. _Hopefully her mood won't have improved by the time I finish,_ he thought to himself._

_He got back to doing his pushups, only this time working twice as hard in hope of finishing his workout early._

_It wasn't until about 11:30 that night that Vegeta was done with his training for the day. He entered the kitchen, heart set on raiding the refrigerator, when he heard Bulma having a serious discussion with her mother in the next room over. Bulma sounded upset, which instantly put a smile on Vegeta's face. He decided to listen in on them before barging in to start a fun little quarrel with the fiery-eyed, blue-haired vixen._

_"Sugar bear," her mother said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "you know I'll respect your decision, whatever it may be."_

_"I know you will, Mom." Bulma paused. "Damn it! Why did this have to happen again?" she lamented, lying down sideways on the couch. "I haven't missed a single pill in a year. Birth control is so overrated," she complained._

_"Have you been using any other methods, sweetums?" asked Mrs. Briefs. "You know they're most effective when you use more than one method at once, like condoms. Have you been using those? They prevent STDs, too."_

_"It was the heat of the moment, Mom, and I didn't have one to spare," she lied. The young genius was reluctant to admit that although they had been doing the nasty for quite awhile, all that time Vegeta had been refusing to wear any condoms and Bulma had not been demanding enough._

_"Mistakes happen, darling," her mother sympathized._

_"I've made too many mistakes, Mom," she replied, downhearted._

_"Well I'm not one to judge," Mrs. Briefs replied thoughtfully._

_Bulma sighed. "Thanks, Mom."_

_"What are you women blabbering about?" Vegeta taunted, barging in with a large plate piled with sandwiches and whatnot._

_"Nothing, Vegeta," Bulma hissed between clenched teeth, hoping to Kami he would not start a fight. He appeared to be very much in a warmongering mood._

_"Exactly what you always blabber about, woman. You have nothing important to say so why not just put a sock in it?" he spat, stuffing his face and strolling past her. She tried to slap his ass as he passed by, but the devilish attempt was thwarted, almost premeditatedly, by Vegeta's hand, which caught hers in midair. "Nice try, wench," Vegeta mocked, stuffing another big bite of his sandwich into his mouth._

_"Oh, hush up, you jerk!" she spat back, tossing a pillow at him as a last-ditch attempt to get the best of him. He caught the pillow with ease and chucked it back in her direction, nailing her right in the head. He snickered at the anger that action aroused._

_Vegeta left the room in hope that she would follow and continue the dispute, but was disappointed to find that she did not. So, instead of trying harder to for her attention, he simply went upstairs and took a shower, thinking bedtime would be his next opportunity to anger the woman. Although he could not help but wonder in the back of his mind what that conversation with her mother had been about. It gave him an uneasy feeling, so he just let the warm rivulets of water wash away his worries._

_A week later Vegeta returned to the kitchen for lunch with a towel draped around his neck. To his surprise, Bulma was not there. This time she had failed to inform him that she would be gone during the day. He came upon the fridge to find a note stuck under one of the magnets._

_'Vegeta,' it read, 'I have a doctor's appointment today at 1 so I won't be there to make lunch. Lasagna is in the freezer on top of the icebox. Directions are on the back. Hope to see you at dinner. Love, Bulma.' Vegeta looked puzzled, then noticed what it said below that. 'PS: My cell is 435-245-5678 just in case you need anything. Dad's in the lab.'_

_Vegeta couldn't explain the unfamiliar sinking feeling he was experiencing after reading that note. _Didn't she just have a doctor's appointment last week?_ he thought to himself, confused. _She better not be getting herself sick while carrying my heir. Perhaps I should be more careful about stressing her out.

_"Forget it," he told himself, "I'm overreacting to nothing." He tossed the note in the trash, opened the freezer door, and pulled out the box of frozen lasagna._

I thought I told that damn woman I don't even like lasagna._ He cursed inwardly, ripping open the box._

Kami damn it, I can't stand women!_ Vegeta sighed and turned toward the microwave, unwilling to deal with the stove. His eyes noticed the clock on the appliance, which indicated it was half past noon. He had been training longer than he intended._

_He opened the microwave door and put in the plastic plate of lasagna after poking a hole in the top to let the fumes out. Just before his finger could type in the cook time, the phone rang, startling him out of his stupor._

Stupid human-created contraption!_ he grumbled inwardly as he went to pick it up, only to find that Mrs. Briefs in the next room over had beaten him to it._

_"Oh, hi, dear. Did you get there alright? Not too much traffic?" chirped the blond woman, before listening for a moment or two in silence. "Something private? No, I don't think anyone's around. Go ahead, sweetums. What is it?"_

_Vegeta felt the mischievous urge to listen in, so he naughtily picked up the receiver as quietly as possible and put it to his ear, careful not to breathe into it and alert the speakers to his eavesdropping presence._

_"It's almost my turn, Mom, and I'm kind of nervous. Not to mention that is the worst clinic I've ever been to! The doctor looks sleazy and the bathrooms are a mess. Is there any maintenance around here? I wish there were female doctors here today. One of them just left unfortunately," Bulma whined over the phone, peeking over her shoulder as the old male doctor greeted his next patient._

_Bulma's worried remark made Vegeta slightly concerned. He didn't want any unqualified doctors treating his pregnant mate. He was about to say something when Mrs. Briefs chimed in again._

_"Would you like to reschedule?" her mother asked._

_"No, no," Bulma replied promptly. "I don't think I should wait any longer. Before you know it, it'll be a baby and it'll be too late to get an abortion. I'm going to go ahead and do it today. But just for future reference, never go to the Satan City Women's Health Center for your ObGyn, Mom. I strongly recommend against it," she urged._

_Vegeta was puzzled at what Bulma was talking about. _Abortion?_ He cursed to himself, hating that after several years of speaking the Earthlings' language, he still had to look in the dictionary on occasion._

_"Thanks, schnookums, I'll take your advice." Mrs. Briefs giggled. "Anything else before I go to the hair salon?"_

_"Um, oh! The nurse is calling me, Mom, I gotta go. See you tonight."_

_"Bye-bye, butter muffin."_

_"Bye, Mom."_

_Vegeta gently put down the receiver and walked through the living room, past Mrs. Briefs, who chirped, "Oh, hi there, Vegeta! Back from training already?"_

_His only response was a "Hmph" as he passed her and headed into the library, where he perused the shelf._

Ah, ha!_ he thought as he found what he was looking for, an oversized monster of a book entitled _Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

_He scanned the 'A' section, repeatedly sounding the word out under his breath. "Ab-or-tion, ab-or-tion, ab-or-tion, ab-or-tion," he whispered, until he came across the correct word in the dictionary—**a·bor·tion: the expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus usually resulting in the death of that embryo or fetus.**_

_"Embryo or fetus? What the hell are those?" Vegeta cocked an eyebrow and tried to flip to the 'E' section but ended up in the 'F' section accidentally and decided to pursue the second term instead. "Fe-tus, fe-tus, fe-tus…"_

_He came upon the word. A moment later a gasp escaped his lips as the book slipped out of his hands and fell to the coffee table below, knocking an empty mug to the floor._

_"No," he said aloud, his mind swimming. "Sh-she wouldn't do that." He cursed to himself._

_He sprinted back to the kitchen and frantically rummaged through the trashcan, finding and unfolding the note Bulma had left him. He grabbed a hold of the telephone and dialed the number Bulma had written. "435-245-5678," he dictated as he dialed. He put the note down and pressed the receiver to his ear, aggravated by how long it took to start ringing, with how fast his heart was pounding._

_He nearly bit his nails down to the nub during the five long rings, only to end up with a voice message. "Hi, this is Bulma!" Vegeta's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. "I'm not available to answer the phone right now but if you would be so kind as to leave a message I can get back to…" _Click!_ Vegeta slammed down the phone with an angry snarl, breaking it in two._

_"She wouldn't. I'll kill her!" he hissed to himself, panicking._

_Suddenly Mrs. Briefs came in. "Oh, hi, Vegeta, I swear I just thought I saw you go into the library. Gee, are you fast!" She giggled._

_"Where's Bulma?" Vegeta asked frantically._

_"At a doctor's appointment," she replied in a pleasant voice._

_"Where?"_

_"Oh, um…" She thought for a minute, then continued, "I believe she's at the Satan City…"_

_"Satan City Women's Health Center, right!" Vegeta quickly cut her off, recalling the phone conversation. "How do I get there?"_

_"Oh, you're familiar with the place? You'd probably have to get directions from Bulma or her father. I'm just terrible with urban locations."_

_"Damn it!" Vegeta cursed aloud. He sped past her and down the hallway towards Dr. Briefs' laboratory in hope of finding Bulma's father. He spotted him talking to an employee. Vegeta forcefully pushed the employee aside to get the doctor's attention._

_"Where is the Satan City Women's Health Center? I need to know immediately!" Vegeta demanded, stomping a foot for emphasis. The sound of the stomp thundered through the building._

_"Oh, that's just off of Main Street," the good doctor replied, puffing on his pipe. "I could probably draw you up a pretty simple map. It's quite easy to fi…"_

_"Show me!" demanded Vegeta, interrupting the other man as he snatched him around the waist, blew a large hole in the roof with his Ki, and flew up and towards the city._

"Wow," Goku uttered. "That must've been terrifying, Vegeta. I'm so sorry that happened!"

"I wasn't done, Kakarott."

"I know," Goku replied, "but I felt obligated to say something. I can tell that this is really bothering you. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"There's nothing you can do, Kakarott," Vegeta groaned. "It's over with. My son is safe, but the burden of knowing his mother once tried to kill him will always be with me. I'm yet to decide if I will even tell him."

"You shouldn't keep a secret like that, Vegeta. Kids have a right to know. I mean, he'll probably want to know who his mother was," Goku advised.

"Indeed," Vegeta replied, seeing Goku's point.

"It's not good to keep dark secrets like that. If he happened to find out by himself, he might lose all trust in you."

"I suppose you're right. May I finish now?"

"Sure."

"So I flew towards the city with the woman's father…"

_"V-Vegeta, wh-what are you d-doing? I-I'm afraid of heights!" yelped Dr. Briefs, arms and legs waving around frantically for something to grab a hold of._

_"The sooner I find the Satan City Women's Health Center, the sooner you'll be on the ground. Now tell me where it is!" Vegeta demanded ruthlessly._

_"Well, Main Street is in that direction," replied Dr. Briefs nervously, pointing a shaky finger towards a couple of rows of particularly tall buildings._

_"Wahhh!" shrieked the doctor as Vegeta zoomed off in that direction at light speed. "Hey, slow down! I think I'm gonna be sick!" begged the flailing genius._

_Vegeta hovered just above Main Street. More than a few pedestrians noticed this and started pointing up at him in awe. The Prince ignored them. "Here we are, now where do we go?" inquired Vegeta._

_"You n-need to find 10th avenue," replied Dr. Briefs, trembling._

_Vegeta lowered himself down so he could see the signs indicating the streets crossing Main Street. "That's 5th. But where is 10th?" Vegeta shrieked._

_"They're in numerical order," explained the doctor. "See? That next one is 4th, so you have to go north to find 10th."_

_"Which way is north?" cried Vegeta._

_"That way!" He pointed north._

_Vegeta flew past several avenues until he came to 10th._

_"There it is!" Dr. Briefs pointed to a large sign, indicating that the building behind it was the place Vegeta was looking for: Satan City Women's Health Center. "Now, for the love of Kami, please put me down!"_

_Vegeta dove down in a hurry and dropped the nauseated doctor on the grass lawn right outside of the clinic, sprinting through the doors at top speed. He immediately went to the front desk and demanded to know where Bulma Briefs was._

_"She's seeing the doctor right now, sir. You'll have to wait."_

_Instead of complying with the nurse on duty, he snatched her clipboard and discovered that Bulma was in room 406._

_"Hey! You're not allowed to see that!" The nurse snatched it back, but Vegeta just ignored her and sped through the door, down the hall, to said room. He broke down the door with an enraged roar, causing Bulma and the old abortion doctor to shriek in terror._

_"Vegeta? What in Kami's name are you doing here?" Bulma shouted, covering herself up. She was lying down in a white gown with her feet in stirrups, legs spread._

_"What am I doing here? What in Kami's name do you think _you're_ doing here?" Vegeta roared, snarling at the gray-haired doctor off to the side._

_He pointed menacingly at the doctor. "If you killed my son, I swear to Kami I will tear you limb from limb, old man!"_

_"Sir," replied the doctor, nervously standing his ground, "you are trespassing and invading a private doctor's appointment. If you don't leave, I'll have to call security."_

_Vegeta ran over to Bulma and put a hand on her stomach. She tried to slap it away, unsuccessfully, of course. He breathed a sigh of relief after sensing the minute Ki within her womb. His son was thankfully still alive._

_"What are you here for, woman?" Vegeta demanded angrily after backing away._

_"That's none of your damn business, you jerk!" Bulma spat back, fist raised._

_"I swear, woman, if you don't tell me why you're here now, then I'll…"_

_"I'm here because you got me pregnant, you oaf!" she shrieked, cutting him off._

_"Of course you're pregnant, woman! What? Did you think a fucking cabbage would come out after our many matings?" he bellowed._

_Bulma blinked. "Huh?"_

_Vegeta slapped his forehead. "Foolish woman! When women have sex with men," he explained as if to a two-year-old, "they get pregnant. Hasn't anyone ever told you where brats come from? I thought you were educated."_

_"Of course I know where babies come from, Vegeta. I'm not stupid!" she retorted. "But I was on birth control and it failed," she explained, then added angrily, "thanks to a certain high and mighty royal pain in the ass for refusing to use a condom, asshole!"_

_"Wha…? What are you talking about?" Vegeta looked bewildered. "You said those little rubber pouches were for increasing sexual pleasure." Vegeta stood there in shock, barely able to process the news. His mate had lied to him about the purpose of condoms. What else had she lied to him about? _So the woman has been trying to trick me to avoid bearing my child. No wonder she tried to kill him!_ he thought to himself angrily._

_"No, idiot, they are supposed to prevent pregnancy and disease transmission," she divulged in rage._

_"What the fuck?" Vegeta hissed. _So not only does she despise the thought of bearing my offspring, but she also thinks I'm diseased! Stupid bitch!_ Vegeta ground his teeth, seething in rage._

_"Vegeta, this is no time for an argument! Can't you see we were in the middle of something, you jerk? You shouldn't even be in here!" Bulma asserted, silently urging him to drop the subject and leave._

_"In the middle of slaughtering my heir, you mean!" he swiftly retorted._

_"What the…? Wait a minute, Vegeta. You better tell me you weren't actually trying to get me pregnant this whole time!" she charged in near disbelief, drawing her aqua-colored eyebrows together dangerously._

_The doctor backed into a corner, sensing another major fight was about to erupt. He would have tried to sneak out of the room if the furious muscle-bound man was not still blocking the exit._

_"Of course," Vegeta replied, calmly._

_"You've been having sex with me this whole time for the sole purpose of impregnating me?" she spat, more furious than before._

_"No, stupid woman, I also think it feels good. Mating is not just to make brats. Everyone knows that. What a ridiculous question!" he replied, rolling his eyes._

_"Damn it, Vegeta! You had no right!" she screeched, fiery-eyed. "You're such an asshole!"_

_"You're coming with me, woman." He snatched her by the wrist, much to her discontentment._

_"Vegeta, you ass, I'm not even dressed!" she shouted in a shrill voice._

_Vegeta snatched her clothes, which were neatly folded on one of the chairs, and threw them at her._

_"Then hurry up and put your stupid clothes on, whore! We're going home," he instructed._

_"Not with you in the room, asshole!"_

_"After this," Vegeta replied, rounding on her dangerously, "there's no way I'll be leaving you alone with my son from now until he's born. Besides, you don't have anything I haven't seen before. Now get dressed!" Vegeta ordered._

_"Son? How the hell would you know if it's a boy or not?" she inquired, almost as curious as she was angry._

_"Because I do, woman. I can sense it. A she-brat emits different energy waves than a male," he explained, growling at her._

_Bulma glared at him skeptically, then said, "If you want a baby so bad then carry it yourself and fuck up your own dainty figure, asshole!"_

_"Don't be ridiculous! Saiyan males can't get pregnant. Will you stop saying such stupid…"_

_"Exactly!" she interrupted. "You don't have a uterus, so you're not the one who gets to decide when other people bear children. It's none of your damn business!" she decreed._

_"I'm not deciding anything. It's too late for you to not have a child. You already have one inside of you and now that you have him, you can't just kill him and say nothing ever happened," Vegeta charged._

_"Oh, really?" Bulma spat sarcastically. "Well, look who, of all people, is giving a lecture about the morality of killing," she retorted._

_"I've never killed a family member. You're attempting to destroy your own flesh and blood!"_

_Bulma growled in exasperation. "This is such bullshit, Vegeta! It isn't even a child yet. It's just a growing lump of tissue and I do not intend to carry it to term! Not out of wedlock! Everyone will think I'm a prostitute. I'm a public figure and I have a reputation to worry about," she exclaimed._

_"Better a prostitute than a child killer." Vegeta halted, then fiercely snatched her by the neck and lifted her up off the ground. "Listen to me, woman," he hissed. "Listen loud and clear. If any harm comes to my son before he is born I will hold you personally responsible. If you kill him, I will tear you limb from limb. So Kami help me, I will. Do you doubt my words, woman?"_

_She shook her head in terror, unable to speak. He'd never used this amount of force with her before. Something had clearly changed within him._

_"Good!" Vegeta spat, placing her back down on her feet._

_She gasped and coughed for air and put both hands to her throat as soon as he released his hold on her._

_He turned to the doctor, seething. "Get. Out."_

_The doctor briefly nodded and rushed out of the room._

_Then he turned to Bulma. "As for you, get dressed. Now!"_

_She glared at him, but his icy stare quickly silenced her, and she finally complied. Bulma Briefs was not normally one to take orders, but this was the first time in the two and a half year period of their cohabitation that she actually feared him. She hadn't felt that way towards Vegeta since Namek. After he'd moved in to Capsule Corp, Bulma had grown very accustomed to him and was one of the only Earthlings that didn't show any fear whatsoever towards the arrogant Prince of the Saiyans._

Well, I guess I'm having a baby,_ she thought reluctantly to herself as she pulled her blue jeans up her thighs. _I wonder what I should name him, now that I know it's gonna be a boy thanks to that stocky dork.

_"Hurry up, woman," he spat, leaning against the wall with his arms folded and looking cross. "My patience wears thin."_

"I haven't mated with her since I found out about that," Vegeta confided to the other Saiyan. "It shocked me so much that she would attempt something like that that I could hardly look her in the face anymore."

Goku didn't have anything to say. He just looked down at the floor and ran a hand through his hair.

"Even after that the harpy's audacity was mind-boggling, Kakarott. She just went ahead and named the boy _underwear_ and then decided it is within her rights to have his tail amputated like it was some kind of defect," Vegeta lamented. He paused, and rounded on Goku. "But the young Prince is perfect. The most beautiful child I've ever seen. And I'd opt to be Frieza's bitch for eternity before I'd hand the boy over to the hell cat!"

"So, um, I guess there's no chance that you might, you know, forgive her?" Goku inquired sheepishly.

"None whatsoever! I've never been a particularly forgiving individual, but after this? After that weak, pathetic, human female defied me in such a… no, _betrayed_. She betrayed me. She is a treacherous, lying, scumbag. Lower than the lowest, slimiest bag of sludge to ever infest the swampiest planet in the entire universe!" he bellowed.

Goku paused for a minute. He thought it wise to change the subject. "Who is going to be your Queen then?"

Vegeta looked up, pleased to change to a more pleasant topic. "Maybe one of King Chrystla's daughters. I have my sights set on Princess Sapphire. I don't know if she could bear me offspring as strong as a human female could. However, if Sapphire refuses, I will consider returning to Earth in search of a more worthy human mate. It's hard to say."

"You think she'll say yes?" Goku inquired, curiously.

"I don't know. I'll have a better idea in the morning, I'm sure. She has plenty of suitors to choose from, being the King's oldest daughter. But she'll probably find my proposal to be the most attractive," Vegeta said with a sly grin.

Goku frowned. He could hardly imagine Vegeta married, his attention entirely consumed by some snobby alien princess. "Vegeta," the Z fighter said suddenly, causing the royal to turn and look at him. "Do you even really need a queen? I mean, aren't you like one of the greatest warriors in the universe? I should think you'd be able to do just fine ruling a kingdom on your own."

Hearing this, Vegeta's mouth began to turn upwards into a crooked smirk. "Why, yes, Kakarott. I'm surprised you're not reluctant to acknowledge my keen leadership abilities. I must say I'm impressed."

"No way, Vegeta. I'd say it's obvious!" Goku exulted, before quickly adding, "So you don't really need a queen, then. Right?"

Vegeta blinked. "It's not about me 'needing' a queen. It's just that it's always good to have a reliable mate, and someone I trust to take care of the kingdom if I die before my son is ready. That's usually the role of the Queen," Vegeta explained.

"I see."

"Is that a problem? Or were you just handing me a compliment?" inquired the Prince.

"Is what a problem?"

"Me wanting a queen."

"Oh, no. That's not a problem. I just…" Goku hesitated.

"So," Vegeta continued, "you were just paying me a compliment by saying I'd do fine ruling on my own?"

"Uh, yeah. Exactly!"

"In that case, thank you."

"Welcome."

There was a long pause.

"Vegeta?"

"Yes?"

"When you were with Bulma, did you like it?" Goku asked curiously.

"What do you mean, did I like it?" Vegeta replied, unsure of what the Z fighter was getting at.

"I mean, did she make you happy?"

"Um. I suppose she did. Before she betrayed me, that is," Vegeta hesitated awkwardly. "Well, even before that, she was a bitch a little too often."

"No, no. I mean was it, I dunno, exciting? To be with her?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Goku, scrutinizing the Z fighter's facial expression. A large bead of sweat slid down Goku's forehead and he smiled nervously, putting a hand behind his head.

"Kakarott, you're not asking me about my sex life, are you?" inquired the Prince, narrowing his eyes a bit more.

Goku gulped and tugged nervously on the neck of his pullover, trying to let a little air in.

"You are!"

"Maybe…"

Vegeta looked annoyed. "That's rather personal, Kakarott," he said, turning away and crossing his arms.

"I know. It's just that…"

"It's just that what?"

"It's just that Chi Chi doesn't really make me happy. I was just wondering if your experience with Bulma could compare. I don't know, I guess I was just looking for sympathy. Never mind what I said."

"Well, I wasn't miserable," Vegeta admitted, ignoring Goku's insecurity. "Your mate makes you miserable, doesn't she?"

"Only when I'm with her," Goku conceded. "Although I guess I'm pretty good at concealing it."

"Right. Maybe you should begin looking for another mate, Kakarott," Vegeta advised.

"I wish I could," Goku admitted. "I doubt Gohan would be okay with that."

"You don't have to subject yourself to misery to please your son, Kakarott."

"I know, but…"

"Did you have your eye on anyone? Pellucian women are rather fond of Saiyan men, you know. They were oh-so devastated when our planet was destroyed," Vegeta said, suggestively.

"No, no. It's not that. I don't feel like I can confide in my friends."

"About what? The person you're interested in?"

"Right. Sort of…"

"Did you want to tell me?"

"It's not any Pellucian woman," Goku admitted.

"An Earthling?"

"No."

"Who else do you know?"

Goku was silent.

Vegeta looked confused. He wondered if there was a certain race that Goku found appealing. "Are we talking about a specific person or a group of people?"

"Both. I think."

"Both? So you're interested in both a specific person _and_ a group of people?"

"Yes. And that group of people excludes Pellucians and Earthlings."

"Well, are you going to tell me or make me guess?" inquired Vegeta, agitated by his curiosity. He didn't want to sound too desperate to know of Goku's love interest.

Goku looked at him nervously.

"Kakarott, I'm not in the mood for a guessing game. If you want me to help you, you had better just tell me."

Goku remained silent, growing more and more afraid of rejection with each passing moment.

"You brought this up because you want my help right?" Vegeta continued, hoping to get the other man to divulge the information soon or drop the subject altogether.

"Yeah."

"Then how can I help you?"

Goku went silent again, swallowing nervously. He cringed back a bit as unexplainable emotions welled up within him. His eyes were locked with Vegeta's, but he seemed to be in a trance.

"Kakarott?"

Goku mumbled something inaudible.

"What?"

Goku suddenly tackled Vegeta, pinning the other man to the cushioned velvet floor beneath them, and repeated himself forcefully. "Why did you have to leave Earth, Vegeta? Why?" he shrieked angrily.

Vegeta gasped in shock as he felt Goku's arousal pressing into his inner thigh. He hadn't even remotely suspected that the crush Goku had been talking about might have been the Saiyan Prince himself.

Goku began covering Vegeta's face with kisses and his hands traveled down to the Prince's rear. Vegeta let out a yelp of surprise as two large hands squeezed his buttocks unexpectedly. Vegeta's face went bright red as he tried to push Goku's hands away, only to have his hands forcefully removed from his own backside and replaced with Goku's.

"Get off of me, Kakarott!" Vegeta cried, struggling in vain to escape the larger man's affections.

"No! Mine!" Goku snapped back, unrelenting. He promptly sat up and pulled the smaller Saiyan into his lap, wherein he continued to fondle him and nuzzle his neck, despite Vegeta's protests.

"If you don't get your disgusting, third-class paws off of my royal person this instant, then I will have you thrown in the dungeon and _flogged_! Do you understand me, Kakarott?" the Prince bellowed.

Suddenly Goku stopped. "Flogged?" he echoed, baffled. His tone suggested a hint of amusement.

"That's right, idiot," retorted Vegeta, seething.

"That's such a weird threat, 'Geta."

"It's not a threat, idiot. It's a promise if you don't release me at once! " demanded the displeased man reluctantly seated in Goku's lap.

Goku let go of Vegeta, who promptly stood up, gathered himself, and then glared down at the other man sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Now what in the _hell_ was that all about?" Vegeta charged.

Goku twiddled his thumbs nervously, not meeting the other man's eye.

"_Hello_? Anyone home?" Vegeta inquired loudly, knocking on Goku's skull. The seated Saiyan flinched at the contact. "I asked you a question, ass clown. Now answer it!"


	6. Introducing Kinkarott

Chapter 6: Introducing Kinkarott

"Yah!" roared Vegeta each time his tail came down hard across his nemesis's bare lower back, followed by an ear-splitting _Crack!_ The ugly pullover shirt had long since been torn to shreds from the relentless beating, yet the nonresistant Saiyan wearing it still had an idiotic grin on his face, which angered his chastiser to the extreme.

"A little lower, please."

The Prince finally ceased his pummeling, exasperated. "What the hell is wrong with you, Kakarott? You're covered in welts and still you're acting like a nitwit. How could you possibly be enjoying this?" he bellowed.

Goku let out a light chuckle. "Welts my butt! You don't have to be so gentle, Vegeta," retorted the Z fighter, in hope of earning himself a few more delectable blows.

"What? _Gentle_?" Vegeta's face went bright red with fury.

"I'm just saying, Vegeta," Goku explained, yawning, "you don't have to treat me like some porcelain doll. I'm not gonna break in two. Geez…" The Earth Saiyan snickered silently to himself.

"Why you!" Once again Vegeta swung his tail back in fury and released a few more merciless lashes across Goku's shoulder blades, only to receive a few more imbecilic giggles in response. _This idiot must have some serious wires crossed in his brain,_ thought Vegeta.

The shorter Saiyan was foaming at the mouth. His earlier wrath had been so great that he hadn't even thought to drag the royalty-molesting clod to the dungeon first or even have one of the servants fetch him a real Drakeskin hornwhip. Instead he'd just ordered the third-class warrior facedown on his bedroom floor. To Vegeta's surprise, and slight displeasure, the other Saiyan had been quick to obey. He flogged the idiot on the spot with the only flogging object available, only to find that the peasant was enjoying the treatment. That discovery only served to quadruple the Prince's indignation.

"That's it!" Vegeta roared. "Get out of my bedchambers at once! Out, out, out!"

Goku pushed himself up painfully and then received a swift kick to the rear, which sent him tumbling face-first into the cushioned seat of one of the sitting room chairs. "Mmph," he mumbled into the fabric.

"That was for defying me," spat the enraged royal. "Now get that stupid, tailless ass of yours out of the palace this instant!" Vegeta furiously turned and traipsed into his ornate bathroom, muttering curses in his native tongue. His cape trailed behind him.

"Wait, Vegeta!" Goku cried, crawling after him on all fours. "Please, don't make me go!"

Vegeta stopped in his tracks, clenching his fists. Suddenly he felt something grab onto his gold-tipped boots. He looked down to see Goku groveling at his feet.

"Please, Vegeta! I'll be good. I'll do whatever you say. Please, don't make me leave. Pretty please!" pled the taller Saiyan. He squeezed the Prince's legs together, making it difficult for the standing royal to stay balanced. "Please!" Goku whimpered again, hoping to appease the Prince.

"No!" Vegeta spat, trying to free his lower limbs. "Get away from me! I loathe brain-damaged fools like you! And get dressed, you idiot. You're disgusting!"

"Please, Vegeta!" Goku cried helplessly, tightening his grip. "O' mighty Prince of the Saiyans!"

The mighty Prince of the Saiyans rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Don't think you can charm me to get what you want. But I'll tell you what you can do, baka." He let out a brief chuckle before rounding on the groveling fool. "You can kiss my royal ass!" he spat, violently struggling to free his legs from the other man's grip.

A sly smirk appeared on Goku's face. "I'll kiss anything you want, 'Geta," Goku replied, waggling his eyebrows.

Vegeta gave Goku the evil eye, which only earned him a goofy grin from the other Saiyan. "Sick pervert," the Prince hissed. He pulled one of his feet loose and used it to stomp down on Goku's injured back. The only response he received for this action was an idiotic "Owie" from the Z fighter.

"Jerk," Vegeta spat, growling under his breath. "Just get away from me!" he commanded, disappearing into the bathroom. He slammed the door shut just in time to lock Goku out and turned to face himself in the mirror. A blush had crept onto his face and he looked down at the large bulge in his pants with self-disgust.

While he knew from the outset that he would enjoy teaching the fool such a well-deserved lesson, he hadn't predicted that his body would respond in such a manner. He could only imagine how hard he'd be if he'd actually successfully broken the pitiful dolt.

Goku sat up against the shut door and Vegeta heard him let out an unnaturally loud sigh. "Oh, well, I guess I'll have to go back to Earth where my mean wife will yell at me and not let me be a Saiyan and my ex-best friend will call me a failure and hate me forever and ever and Yajirobe will make fun of me if he finds out about all this, which he probably will," the Earth Saiyan lamented.

"Yup, you deserve it," replied Vegeta on the other side of the door. He splashed some cold water on his face to deaden his arousal. It didn't seem to be working.

Goku sighed again, louder than before, and continued, "And I'll have to sleep on cheap couches and Gohan won't have time to train with me anymore because Chi Chi makes him study all the time and life will be utterly hopeless and pointless and so on and so forth."

"Pretty much," spat Vegeta, sounding quite pleased with Goku's sad fate.

"And I'll be the only pureblooded Saiyan for miles around. Woe is me. Almost the last of my kind."

"Pfft. Well, that's what you get when you act like an idiot all the time. No other Saiyans want to have anything to do with you. Not even your own half-blood brat," Vegeta derided.

Goku sighed yet again, as loud as he could, and this pushed Vegeta over the edge. He stomped out of the bathroom and snatched Goku by the hair, pulling him to his feet and then grabbing a hold of his throat. "I thought I told you to get out of here!" he bellowed.

Without replying, Goku looked down and promptly noticed the Prince's stubborn arousal. This discovery instantly put a smile on the taller Saiyan's face, despite the strangulation.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Vegeta demanded, just before his face went bright red in realization.

"Well, well, well, well, well…" Goku choked out, chuckling.

"What the fu…" Vegeta hissed.

"What an interesting development this is," said the Z fighter, wagging his eyebrows.

Vegeta smacked Goku across the face. "Stop looking at it, you pervert!"

The Prince forcefully turned his subject around so that Goku was facing in the other direction. "And cover up that disgusting mess of a back!" Vegeta added, wanting to punch it but holding back the urge.

He heard Goku whimper. "Fine," replied the third-class warrior, "it's not like you're the one who did it or anything. Meanie." Goku started rubbing his shoulder to look sad.

"You deserved it!" Vegeta spat. "Now get out of here."

Goku huffed. "I don't understand why you won't just admit that there's mutual attraction here. What's so great about having all that pride if it won't let you do the things you obviously want to do? You let it run your life, Vegeta!"

"Mutual _what_?" Vegeta roared, nearly pissing himself in ire.

A tinge of blue appeared on Goku's face. "Nothing. I didn't say anything!"

Vegeta turned on a heel and headed straight for a very fearful Goku. "That's it! You're in for the pounding of your life!" he roared.

"You're gonna beat me up with that?" Goku asked in surprise, pointing to the Prince's erection. The Earth Saiyan accidentally let out a snicker and quickly clapped both hands over his mouth, aware of his mistake.

"I can't control it, you idiot!" Vegeta snapped, brandishing a fist in the air.

Goku perked up. "Then why don't you let me help you with that?" He flinched when Vegeta rounded on him.

"I'd rather get ass-raped by a barbed cactus!" spat the Prince.

Goku was silent for a minute. "Wow, 'Geta. That's pretty outlandish, as far as fantasies are concerned."

Vegeta slapped his forehead. "Get. Out."

"But 'Geta!" Goku protested. The Prince ignored him and started to stomp away. Before he could get far, however, Goku snatched a hold of his tail, making Vegeta stop dead in his tracks. "I read in a funny book at Master Roshie's that after a beating like that, you're supposed to kiss the thing you were beaten with. It's tradition!" he asserted, bringing the furry appendage up to his lips.

Vegeta's protests were immediately halted by a multitude of pleasurable sensations running up and down his spine. They squelched any attempt at speech and the Prince's eyes widened at the new, unfamiliar tingles.

Goku brushed his lips against the fur, simultaneously stroking the sensitive appendage. As he unknowingly pleasured the Prince from behind, he began to wonder what Vegeta was thinking about. The royal hadn't made a sound. Goku glanced at him, curious, until he noticed the goose bumps all around the nape of Vegeta's neck.

"Hey, Vegeta, are you getting cold?" he inquired, scratching his head with his free hand. "You know, I could warm you up if you'd just let me," he teased, devilishly.

Vegeta could not muster an answer, as he felt his pants get even tighter. He clenched his teeth and fists as a deep, involuntary rumbling sound erupted from inside his chest.

Goku heard the strange sound and at first had no idea where it was coming from. "Hey, Vegeta," Goku inquired, "can you hear that?" He glanced around in curiosity and neared the shorter Saiyan. The vibrations seemed to be coming from the Prince, so Goku put his ear against Vegeta's back. "Is that you making that funny noise, 'Geta?" The vibrations could be felt all the way through the dense armor. "Neat! I thought only cats could do that."

It quickly dawned on the Earth Saiyan that Vegeta was enjoying his touch. Goku started to move his hands gradually up Vegeta's tail, closer to his rear. The vibrations grew louder, just as Goku had predicted.

"Like that, 'Geta?" he whispered, putting his mouth around the flap of Vegeta's left ear and gently sucking. Just as he thought, the Prince was too titillated to even think of trying to escape.

Goku took a hold of the base of Vegeta's tail and deepened the strokes, upping the volume of the purrs coming from the royal's chest. He glanced to the side to see Vegeta's face. The man's eyes were squeezed shut. Goku looked down and was delighted to see that the bulge in the Prince's pants had doubled in size.

Goku ran his hand along Vegeta's belt until it came to rest on the Prince's lower stomach, right above the swelling. Then he slowly moved his hand down and began to rub the erection over Vegeta's tights. The Prince gasped loudly, provoking a chuckle from Goku.

Goku leaned down to kiss Vegeta's neck only to find the strained posture was uncomfortable. He lifted Vegeta off the ground for easier access, making the shorter individual gasp again, this time in surprise. The Z fighter began tracing kisses along the hairline at the back of Vegeta's head, tightening his grip when the Prince started squirming ever so slightly.

Goku carried the Prince back to the bedroom and with another fiendish chuckle, he sent Vegeta flying through the air to land facedown in the middle of the golden Pellucian bedspread.

Startled out of his stupor, the Prince tried to sit up but was weighed down by a much larger body straddling his own.

Goku began quickly freeing Vegeta of his clothing. The Z fighter tossed the royal cape, armor, gloves, and boots to the side, along with his own tennis shoes and the last shreds of his pullover. Then Goku leaned down so that his mouth was right next to the Prince's ear. "Alright, Vegeta. Ready for me to take care of that pesky bulge you were complaining about?" he whispered sensually.

Goku grabbed a hold of Vegeta's waist and flipped him over. Finally face to face with the royal boner, Goku grinned. The Z fighter didn't realize that it had been months since Vegeta's last sexual encounter. For the virile Prince, that was a ridiculously long time. It was so long, in fact, that Vegeta creamed his pants a second later. The royal's face went bright red when he realized what he'd done. Fortunately Goku was too close to notice and continued to murmur sweet things into the Prince's ear, tracing a finger along Vegeta's jawline.

As his arousal started to soften, a calloused hand dove down into his pants and gently cupped his tender parts. The Prince's eyes shot wide open in surprise.

"Hey!" Goku scolded. "You weren't supposed to come yet, Vegeta! I've hardly even touched you." The Z fighter pulled the black tights all the way down to Vegeta's knees, which came as another sudden shock to the Prince. Vegeta squirmed as Goku started wiping up the goopy mess with the remnants of his ruined pullover.

Vegeta bit his tongue to hold back a shriek of laughter from the unintended tickling. His face went red again. Fortunately for Vegeta, Goku was too preoccupied to notice.

By the time Goku finished, Vegeta's manhood was back at its normal length. In order to re-excite the royal Saiyan, Goku began massaging his inner thighs, squeezing and kneading deep into the muscles with strong hands.

Vegeta began to grunt and groan from the delightful stimulation. The third-class warrior grinned, thrilled to discover that pleasing the Prince was a much easier task than pleasing Chi Chi. It felt nice to be good at something for once, other than fighting of course.

Goku maneuvered himself on top of Vegeta so they were groin to groin. He locked eyes with the spiky-haired Prince and began grinding their pelvises together. Vegeta clenched his teeth and started grunting again.

"Why are you still wearing pants, you idiot?" Vegeta snapped. It was a royal order disguised as a question and Goku knew it. The Z fighter grinned and quickly complied, tossing his jeans and boxers onto the same growing pile of clothes from earlier. He pulled off Vegeta's spandex top and pants all the way and tossed them aside as well.

Vegeta tried to sit up, but Goku pushed him back down. The Z fighter lay down between the other warrior's legs and gathered the edge of the Prince's foreskin between his lips. He flipped the shaft over and placed the head over the royal's navel, so that Vegeta's entire length was resting on his belly. Then the Earth Saiyan began to lick Vegeta's manhood from base to head like an ice cream cone, provoking involuntary groans from the man beneath him.

When Vegeta was back to full arousal, Goku resumed the groin-to-groin position and began grinding their lengths together. Vegeta savored the feeling of the other pureblood's cock against his. It was so soft and hot and throbbing. Vegeta's level of excitement grew along with Goku's until they were both nearing their peak. Goku slowed his thrusting on purpose to tease Vegeta, right when the Prince was painfully close to going over the edge. Goku heard Vegeta grunt in disappointment and then start muttering angry insults.

Goku snickered as he felt Vegeta's tail curl around his thigh and yank hard, trying to force the man on top to thrust harder and faster. The Earth Saiyan resisted, grinning down at the peeved Prince. Just as Vegeta was about to chew him out verbally, he decided to comply and pressed down hard with his hips, making the two pulsing shafts slide together again, back and forth.

Sensations began to build again, faster and stronger than before, and Vegeta's eyes popped wide open as red-hot wires shot up his spine and throughout his entire body. He came first and Goku followed only seconds behind. A white creamy substance erupted over both of their stomachs, coming in repeated spurts. Goku slammed his head down on the pillow to the right of Vegeta's face and the Prince heard the other man growl low in his throat as the tension slowly left his body.

_I wonder if Kakarott always does that when he comes,_ Vegeta wondered, settling down as the usual post-orgasm bliss overcame his whole being. Goku collapsed on the Prince's right side, falling into the same state.

"Thanks, 'Geta," Goku mumbled in a tired voice after a minute or two.

"For what?" Vegeta inquired, confused.

"For letting me stay."

Vegeta didn't respond and remained silent for a few minutes as the other man dozed next to him, settling into the exquisite Pellucian bedspread.

Several minutes later, Vegeta decided that he was well rested and not only ready for, but in need of, more action.

"Hey, Kakarott," said Vegeta, tapping the other Saiyan on the shoulder.

A sleepy Goku mumbled something unintelligible.

"I give you permission to suck my dick now," asserted Vegeta, as if it was an honor.

He heard Goku groan. "Can I do that after a short nap?" the third-class warrior pled in a soft voice.

"Why do you need a stupid nap?" Vegeta snapped. "The royal dick waits for no one!"

"I didn't sleep well last night, 'Geta. This bed is soooooo much better than that stupid couch," _or anything I've ever slept on,_ Goku thought to himself. "Please, Vegeta, just thirty minutes…"

"No!" Vegeta commanded. "I'm going to bed in thirty minutes. Can't you see it's dark outside? This is no time for a 'short nap'."

"Mmmmm," Goku groaned again, praying the Prince would just drop the subject.

"Wake up, Kakarott! Let's do this," Vegeta announced, shaking the other man's shoulder.

After receiving no response from the lethargic warrior, Vegeta decided to poke one of the purple weals on the hapless Saiyan's back. The Z fighter suddenly jumped up with a start. "Ow, Vegeta! What'd you do that for?" he cried indignantly.

Vegeta roared in laughter. "Ha ha, you dumb baka! Those really do hurt, don't they? You were just sucking it in when I was pummeling you. Well, that ought to teach you not to mess with me!"

"Kami, 'Geta! You don't have to be such a meanie," Goku huffed.

"Suck my dick and I'll be nice," Vegeta retorted.

"Fine, Vegeta. You win," Goku replied with a tired yawn.

Goku sat up groaning and spread Vegeta's legs apart so that he could sit cross-legged between them. He looked like he was about to give Vegeta a hand job, but then he halted right as he was about to take Vegeta's flaccid penis in hand and paused for a second or two.

"Yes?" Vegeta said aloud, urging Goku on. He noticed the other man had a solemn demeanor about him.

"Why are you so horny tonight, Vegeta? Didn't I make you come twice already?"

"Yeah, but the first time wasn't that great. Plus, I haven't fucked in a while."

"Really? That's surprising. I'd think someone like you would get lots of action in a place like this."

"I guess I could if I wanted to, but I've been a little turned off from women since…" Vegeta hesitated. "Well, you know. I already told you what happened."

"Oh, I see," Goku replied, sympathy in his eyes. "Yeah, I can't imagine going through something like that."

"Every time I look a woman in the face around here, I see her. She haunts my dreams. Why won't she just leave me alone?" Vegeta puled.

Goku frowned. "Bulma haunts your dreams?"

"Yes, Kakarott. Who else? If she were a drug, I would be a hopeless addict. I wish I could just stop dwelling on it and move on with my life. I'm driving myself crazy."

"Well, 'Geta. If Bulma is like a drug and you want to overcome the addiction, you'll just have to go to rehab," Goku announced.

"Rehab?" murmured Vegeta, rolling his eyes. "Don't be stupid, Kakarott. It was a metaphor."

"Well I was going to make a valid suggestion, but if you're just going to be a meanie and shoot me down, then…"

"Silence, Kakarott!" Vegeta charged. "Can't you see you've already found the solution? Now I feel stupid for not thinking of it myself. I should've just tried men as a substitute until I'm ready to be around women again. In retrospect, it seems so obvious!"

Goku's eyes popped open. "Men?" He laughed. "Oh yeah, of course. We're both men, aren't we? Why didn't that occur to me until now?" he said, as if talking to himself.

"Fuck women!" Vegeta announced. "They're so much more trouble than they're worth."

"Hey, come on, Vegeta," Goku chided. "They're not that bad."

"All they're good for is making brats," the Prince bitterly declared, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

Goku's drew his brows together. "That's not true, Vegeta. Just because you had a bad experience with one woman doesn't mean you should hate them all."

"I don't hate them all," Vegeta argued. "Just most of them. It's just that there are so many things I can't stand about them. For one, they have high screechy voices, and although I usually find it sexy when they're calm, it's not worth it because they use it most of the time to scream at you. Second of all," said Vegeta, counting each grievance off on his fingers, "they withhold sex when they're mad at you. Now that's something you'd never find a man doing. So, obviously, with men you can actually get laid when the need arises. Third of all, there are so many women out there who have no idea what to do with dicks." Vegeta paused. "Then again, the blue-haired woman didn't have that particular problem."

"Hm," replied Goku.

"She really was too good to be true," Vegeta lamented.

"Stop thinking about her, Vegeta!" Goku demanded. The Prince looked at him. The Z fighter leaned down again and locked lips with the royal, simultaneously rubbing their bare pelvises together. Goku proceeded to pleasure Vegeta for the rest of the Pellucian night.

…

A few hours later, Goku opened his eyes to find Pellucid's closest sun lurking just over the stunning fuchsia horizon.

Goku shot up to find himself under the velvety golden bed linens, spooning the sleeping Prince from behind. He gasped and rolled over to reach the pile of clothes that had been carelessly discarded the night before. He searched through it, finding his watch on the bottom.

"Eight P.M.?" Goku cried aloud, arousing his bedmate. He had slept way past the barbecue and now it was almost bedtime back on Earth.

_Oh no!_ Goku thought in panic. _My goose is cooked!_

"Kakarott?" Vegeta rasped. "What are you doing, baka?"

"Vegeta? I'm in big trouble! I fell asleep and stayed the night even though I was supposed to go to a barbecue at noon! That was eight hours ago! Everyone must be really worried."

"Who cares?" Vegeta retorted. He closed his eyes again and settled back into the luxurious mattress, completely carefree. "Just tell them you were training or some shit."

"Chi Chi will be furious! Kami, I have to get back." He rolled out of bed and slid his boxers and socks back on in a hurry.

Vegeta sat up and stretched. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal is I bet they're worried sick. Chi Chi gets really moody when I don't show up," Goku whimpered, struggling to tie his shoelaces.

Vegeta heard Goku mutter "Ow" under his breath as he was bending down for his jeans. "What's wrong with you, idiot?"

"My back, you little meanie," Goku chided, hopping up and down to yank his pants up his legs.

"Don't be such a wuss, Kakarott."

"It hurts."

"Good. You deserve it for having no sense of proper courtship behavior."

"That's not true, Vegeta," Goku asserted, zipping up his fly. "I know all about dating and stuff like that. I just got carried away last night. I'll take you to get ice cream sometime to make up for it. Okay?"

"Take me to get what?"

"Ice cream."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Don't change the subject, stupid. We're talking about how you molested me out of the blue."

"I know. Sorry about that."

"I hope your back burns like hell for it!"

Goku chuckled. "At least it's not as bad as a needle."

"Hmph," replied Vegeta. Suddenly the Prince's eyes shot wide open in realization and a fiendish grin began to curl his lips upward. Vegeta called out to Goku in a sing-songy voice, "Oh, Kaaakaroootttt!"

Goku glanced up suspiciously. "Um, yes?" he replied, curiously eyeing the Prince.

"I was just wondering if you're still interested in getting your tail back?" Vegeta inquired in an all too-friendly manner, twiddling his thumbs innocently.

Goku forgot all about the funny feeling he had and jumped up with excitement. "I am, I am, I am, I am!" he cried, bouncing around excitedly.

Vegeta's smile widened. "Perfect!" He got up and walked naked into a spacious closet lined with training spandex and other clothes of a more elegant persuasion. Vegeta came out wearing a fresh pair of skintight black boxers. "I'll be right back." The Prince turned around and let out a loud burst of insane cackling as he headed for the bathroom.

Goku promptly face planted on the floor. _Now what in the heck was that about?_ he wondered. He got up and sat down on the bed nervously.

Moments later, Vegeta emerged from the bathroom with both hands behind his back.

"Um, Vegeta, what are you hiding there?" Goku inquired, swallowing audibly.

"Nothing, Kakarott. Now I'm going to have to ask you to please remove your pants and underwear and lay down on your stomach, eyes closed. Think you can do that?" inquired Vegeta, innocently.

Goku gulped again. "M-may I ask why first?"

Vegeta closed his eyes and chuckled lightly. "Silly, innocent, naïve, little Kakarott," he teased. "Didn't I just tell you? You want your tail back, don't you?"

"I do but what exactly does getting my tail back involve? If I may ask?"

"Do as I say and you'll find out."

"I'd rather you tell me what you're going to do first."

Vegeta laughed wickedly. "Of course you would, Kakarott. Of course you would…"

Goku stood up and backed away. "Okay, Vegeta, quit it now. You're scaring me."

Vegeta's eyes flashed with delight. "_Scaring_ you? Oh my, I had no idea. I must be terribly insensitive," he continued, stepping closer to his prey.

"Yeah, stop looking at me like that. I mean it. And what's behind your back?" Goku demanded.

"Come on, Kakarott. Just be a good little idiot and do what I say. I promise you'll thank me some day."

A bead of sweat ran down Goku's forehead as he backed further away.

"The only way you're going to get your tail back is if you do what I say, Kakarott."

Goku finally relented. "Alright, Vegeta. Just don't do anything sneaky, okay?"

Vegeta crossed his fingers behind his back before replying. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said, peering up and to the right.

Goku began to unzip his jeans, peering nervously at Vegeta every few seconds. The Prince stood perfectly still, both hands behind his back.

Every now and then Vegeta shifted his position, groaning because Goku was taking so long. When Goku was finally ready to pull own his jeans, Vegeta stepped forward to complain. "Are you done yet? Kami, Kakarott, you didn't take this long to undress last night!"

Before Goku could answer, he saw that Vegeta had stepped in front of a mirror. The reflection revealed that Vegeta was hiding something behind his back that turned out to very much resemble…

"Needle!" Goku shrieked.

Vegeta's eyes went wide. _How did he know?_ Vegeta turned around to see the mirror. "Damn it!" he hissed. The Prince rounded on a terrified Goku and shrugged. _Oh well. This is going to be fun either way._

Goku turned on a heel and headed straight for the veranda, only to be cut off by Vegeta.

The Prince was delighted to observe the taller man's aghast, blue face. All his hair was standing on end as if he was a frightened cat. If he had had a tail, it likely would've been puffed out like a porcupine.

Vegeta roared with laughter. "Going somewhere, my dear peasant?" he taunted. "It's not very polite to just leave without saying goodbye. You should know better." Vegeta held the needle up in his right hand in full view and glanced at it with a malicious smirk on his face. "Oh, perhaps it was _this_ that caused you to depart so abruptly. Not to worry, Kakarott. I'm sure I won't feel a thing."

"You… you're evil!" Goku cried, pointing accusingly at Vegeta with a shaky finger.

"That's right, Carrothead. I'm your worst nightmare, live in person and ready to rumble. Now if you'd be so kind as to offer me your ass, I'll be so kind as to plunge this nice, long, sharp, pointy needle into it." He roared with laughter and squeezed the end of the syringe a bit so some of the green liquid would spray out of the tip.

"S-s-s-stay away f-from me with that thing!" Goku warned, tripping over his own feet. Before he knew it, Vegeta was on top of him, reaching for the back rim of his unzipped jeans.

"Get that thing away from my butt!" Goku slapped his hand away and pulled his jeans back up. The Z fighter managed to roll over onto his back. Locking hands with Vegeta, he tried to wrestle the smaller man off of him. This proved not to be overly difficult, as the Prince was a lightweight in comparison.

Once Vegeta was on his back on the floor, Goku stood up and stumbled away. "You little meanie!" he cried, pointing angrily at Vegeta. "Don't even think about doing that ever again! You know I hate needles."

Although Vegeta was pissed at being so easily defeated, all he did was stand up and cross his arms, giving the Z fighter a smug look. "Duh, idiot," he replied, amused. "Why else would I be having so much fun? You're such a pansy!"

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

The childish argument went on like that for about ten lines until Vegeta got fed up and put a stop to it. "Shut up, Kakarott! This is stupid. If you want your tail back, then you have to take a needle with tail regeneration serum in the ass. Otherwise, you will be cursed to remain a tailless loser for the rest of your days."

"Tail regeneration serum?"

"That's what this is," Vegeta explained, signaling the needle.

"You… you mean there's no other way?" Goku whined. He hung his shoulders in disappointment.

"Not that I know of," Vegeta admitted.

Goku looked crestfallen. "Darn it! I was really looking forward to getting my tail back and the one way to do it just _had_ to be the only thing I'd never be willing to do to save my life!" he exclaimed. "It's just not fair!" Goku plopped down on the floor and sat there, whimpering sadly to himself.

He looked up at Vegeta again. "Are you sure there's absolutely no other way? Can't I take it by mouth?"

"No," Vegeta said. "It has to be injected directly into your tailspot to work."

Goku groaned again. "Now what do I do?"

"I'll tell you what you do, idiot! You get over your pathetic aichmophobia. It makes you act like a sniveling little coward. If I were you, I'd be absolutely ashamed!" Vegeta admonished.

"Aichmo-_what_? " Goku looked up, confused.

"Aichmophobia. You know what a phobia is, don't you?"

Goku paused. "Um… a fear?"

"Exactly. Figure it out, stupid. It means fear of needles."

"Why such a big word? Why can't people just say 'needlephobia' or something like that?"

"Don't try to change the subject! You need to get over your stupid fear."

"I can't, Vegeta! "

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Have you ever even tried anything?"

Goku looked up. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Hypnosis, maybe?"

"Hypnosis?"

"Maybe we can try that later."

"I don't know about that, 'Geta." Goku laughed nervously. "I guess as long as you promise not to hypnotize me into doing anything, well, bad."

"It doesn't work that way, genius."

"What doesn't work that way?"

"Hypnosis. I can't make you do anything you don't want to do. If I knew how to do that I would've used such mind-control on you years ago when I wanted to purge Earth with you as my partner, remember?"

"Okay, then," said Goku, relenting. "But I don't have time for that right now. I have to get back to Earth."

"Later, then."

"When can I come back?"

"In a week. The days here are a bit longer than on Earth, so make that 210 Earth hours."

"Aw, that long?" Goku's shoulders slumped.

"Yes. I'm a busy man, Kakarott." Vegeta tossed something to Goku. The Earth Saiyan caught it gracefully and looked at it. The item resembled a scouter, but without the eyeglass. "You can page me with that," explained Vegeta, "but only if there's some kind of emergency. Just press the button on the earpiece and I'll call you back when I'm available."

"Oh. Thanks, Vegeta!"

"And don't worry about the Pellucians. I'll explain everything to Chrystla so he'll understand that you are now familiar with Pellucian law and will not be breaking it again. You're lucky I have that kind of influence. Otherwise, you'd be in deep shit."

"Thanks, 'Geta," Goku squeaked. "Um. You're not going to tell him what we did, are you?"

"Yes, I am."

"What? But why?" Goku cried, panicking.

"Why what?"

"Why do you have to tell him that? It's personal… and embarrassing."

"I see nothing embarrassing about it except for the fact that you're third-class. But that's alright. I've told him embarrassing things about myself before. I don't mind."

"Well, I mind! Please no, Vegeta! Come on, I'm begging you."

"Well I'm not going to lie to him."

Goku groaned.

"Now stop whining and go home, Kakarott. I have some morning training to do before breakfast."

Goku finished zipping his jeans and disappeared into thin air before Vegeta had finished putting on his armor. The Prince called a servant to help him finish up.

"Did you sleep well, Your Highness?" asked Opal. The young green-haired maid always came to tidy his chambers after he left for training in the morning. She buttoned his cape to his left shoulder as he looked himself over in the mirror.

"Yes, as always. How is my son?" Vegeta replied, adjusting his clothes in the mirror.

"The young Prince was a little fussy last night but after being nursed, he fell asleep again. He's been napping peacefully for about three hours."

"Good." Vegeta paused for a moment as Opal buttoned the cape to his other shoulder. "Is Princess Sapphire awake yet?"

"Yes Sir. I was just in her chambers a few minutes ago. She is excited to see you again."

"Excellent. Make sure you bring my son to the dining room after he's finished his second morning breastfeed. I'm sure Sapphire will want to meet him."

"I'll let the wet nurse know," she said, finishing. "Is there anything else I can do for you right now?"

"No, you've done well. I'm off to training."

"Goodbye, Lord Vegeta." She bowed and pushed open the door, allowing him exit. When the Prince was gone, she proceeded with her daily routine of cleaning his bedchambers.

Opal was surprised to find the remains of Goku's pullover. _Such strange fabric. What could this be doing in here? I'd better ask the Prince if he'd like this thrown away or not, _she thought. The maid shrugged off her curiosity and continued with her duties.

…

Goku appeared outside his home on Mount Paozu and snuck a peek through his bedroom window. A very pot-bellied Chi Chi was sitting on the bed in her satin nightgown, combing her hair. Goku silently cursed. With Chi Chi in the bedroom, he wouldn't be able to get to a clean shirt without her noticing his black-and-blue back and Goku lacked an acceptable explanation for the welts. He ran around the house and peered into another window, where he saw Gohan doing his algebra homework at the kitchen table.

_Eureka! _thought Goku. "The laundry! I'm bound to have some clean shirts in there!"

He noticed Gohan turn towards the window, as if he'd heard something. Goku ducked down below the windowpane and cautiously crept along the ground, peering through the second kitchen window. Thankfully Gohan had returned his attention to the task at hand.

Goku put two fingers to his forehead and materialized into the living room, right next to the laundry room. Goku browsed the basket of clothes for a shirt. To his displeasure, the current batch was all dirty. He picked out a blue T-shirt with his name on it.

_Oh well,_ he thought. _Better than coming home shirtless._ He put on the shirt, wrinkling his nose at the smell of his own body odor, and crossed the living room to where the front door was. He opened and closed it and announced, "I'm home!"

"Dad!" cried Gohan, bolting to the front door and giving his father a hug.

"Hey, Gohan," greeted Goku.

"Where have you been?" Gohan asked. "I was worried that Vegeta might've hurt you or something. I ended up telling everyone that you probably went to talk to Vegeta. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't. Sorry I took so long. Kami, it's almost bedtime and I'm not in the least bit tired."

"Mom's really mad. She thinks you chickened out. She was the one to explain to everyone what happened at the barbecue. They're all concerned about Bulma and the baby," Gohan admitted.

Goku laughed nervously. "Well, you can tell your mom I'm going to talk to Bulma right now and that I promise everything will be alri…"

Suddenly Goku was cut off by the shrill voice of his wife. "Son Goku!"

"Chi Chi?" Goku called. "I'm in here, honey."

"There you are, Son Goku! Boy, are you in trouble. I can't believe you flaked out on us at the barbecue. Bulma practically had another meltdown in front of the whole crew. I don't know how much more of this she can take. I…"

"Don't worry, Chi Chi," Goku interrupted, trying to calm her. "I'm going to talk to Bulma right now. I'll set everything straight. I promise."

"It's late, Goku. Where on Earth have you been?" Chi Chi scolded, wagging a finger at him.

"I was talking to Vegeta," Goku explained, careful not to mention the fact that talking wasn't all they'd done.

"For more than _nine hours_?" Chi Chi inquired in disbelief.

"Yeah." Goku laughed nervously, putting a hand behind his head in the typical fashion. "I guess we got carried away. I'm sorry I totally lost track of time."

"And you don't even have the baby? You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Goku."

"Well, you see, Chi, Vegeta's not going to give up the baby that easily. And it turns out things are a bit more complicated than everyone thought at first. I need to go talk to Bulma now, but I'll be back as soon as possible. Promise."

"Well, I'm coming with you," Chi Chi announced, turning to the closet and pulling out a winter coat. "Just to make sure you don't upset her again," she warned. "And if you do, boy will you be in for a long, hard talk! You just wait, Mister."

"No, Chi Chi! What I have to say to her is private. I need to talk to Bulma alone. I promise I'll do my very best to not upset her. Okay? You have my word."

She stared at him suspiciously for a long moment.

"Please, Chi! It's very important that I talk to her alone," Goku continued, trying to convince her.

"Fine, but I'm calling her first thing in the morning."

"Okay," Goku relented, and then turned to Gohan. "I'll see you in the morning, Gohan."

"Bye, Dad. I wanna hear all about what you and Vegeta talked about, 'kay?"

"Sure thing, Son. See ya!" Goku put two fingers to his forehead and disappeared in a flash.

An instant later, Goku found Bulma out on her balcony overlooking the city. Her head was tilted backwards and her eyes were open, reflecting the stars they observed. She seemed to be in contemplation, perhaps wondering where in the night sky her missing child might be. The next thing Goku noticed was what she had in her hand—a lit cigarette. The smoke fumes swirled upwards and disappeared into the night.

"Bulma!" he cried, causing her to jump in surprise and drop the cigarette off the balcony.

"G-Goku?" she gasped, trying to compose herself.

"You shouldn't be smoking!" he admonished.

She stared at him for a second as if trying to register what he'd just said before her brows drew together angrily. "Well, Mr. Smarty-Pants, how graciously would _you_ handle losing a child? Huh? Goody two-shoes!" she spat, before turning back towards the city. She defiantly pulled out another cigarette from the pack in her nightgown pocket.

"How long have you been smoking?" Goku interrogated. "You better not have smoked during your pregnancy with Trunks."

Bulma rolled her eyes at that before replying. "Do you honestly think Vegeta would let me get anywhere near anything that he even remotely suspected would harm the baby? No way! Not that I would've endangered the baby anyway, but he was way too much a control freak to let me have even the slightest amount of freedom during my pregnancy."

"Well," Goku retorted, "you shouldn't be smoking now either. Your health matters just as much as the baby's."

Bulma ignored him, simply putting the next cigarette between her lips and lighting up.

Goku sighed. "Come on, Bulma. There are better ways to cope."

Bulma let a moment of silence reign before she replied, "I don't care."

Goku rubbed his forehead and plopped down on one of Bulma's balcony chairs. "Fine, Bulma. Listen."

"So where have you been?" she asked casually without looking at him, as if his earlier whereabouts didn't really matter to her. But he knew perfectly well she was faking her indifference.

He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his thighs and covered his face in his hands. "I'm sorry I missed the barbecue. I must've gotten carried away talking to Vegeta. I can see I was there all day."

"Ah-ha! So you _were_ talking to Vegeta. That's what Gohan thought."

"Yup."

"Well, how'd it go?" she asked, turning to face him.

"It depends how you look at it. From my point of view, it went fine, considering we didn't get into any violent fights or anything."

"I see," Bulma said, looking at him skeptically.

"The reason I'm here is because, well, I need to talk to you."

"Okay."

"I got Vegeta's side of the story. Now it's your turn."

"You got Vegeta's side of what story?"

Goku glanced around as if it was obvious. "The story of why he took the baby." Goku paused and then added, "So why do you think he took the baby?"

Bulma shrugged. "I dunno. To spite me, I guess. He hasn't hardly exchanged a word with me since before…" she quickly halted her speech, as if carefully picking out the words she wanted to use, and then continued, "Well, since a long time. Let's just say his behavior totally changed during my pregnancy."

"And you have no idea why?" Goku inquired.

"Because he's Vegeta. I don't know if you've noticed but Vegeta doesn't exactly have an award-winning personality."

"But you said his personality totally changed."

"Not his personality, his behavior." She laughed a little. "It's kind of hard to explain."

"Well, here's what Vegeta told me," Goku asserted, getting ready for what he knew would be a difficult discussion.

"Do tell," Bulma replied, interested.

"He believes that you're out to get Trunks."

Bulma paused for a minute as if Goku's words hadn't registered. She shot him a look of confusion. "Um," she replied. "I'm out to get Trunks _back_ from him, if that's what you mean."

"No, no! That's not what I mean at all. Vegeta thinks you want to kill Trunks. That's the main reason he took him away right after he was born. It's because he cares about Trunks. It's not because Vegeta's trying to spite you."

"Wha-wha-_what_?" Bulma cried in disbelief.

"And he thinks that because he claims that you tried to kill him before he was even born!" Goku added.

Bulma stared at Goku for a long moment as if trying to register what he had just said. Then, a moment later, she rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, wait a minute, Goku," she derided. "Don't tell me. Let me guess. This is about the abortion, isn't it?" she inquired. She crossed her arms and peered at him as if he were an ignorant child.

Goku scratched his head. "Um, yeah. I think that's what he said it was called. A-bor-tion." Goku paused, and then his eyes went wide. "Wait a sec, Bulma! Are you telling me you actually did try to kill Trunks?"

Once again, Bulma rolled her eyes. "Listen, Goku, you've got it all wrong, and that's probably because you've been listening to _Vegeta_," she said, adding a tone of annoyance to the Prince's name.

Goku's eyebrows drew together and he stood up, eyeing her in suspicion. "Bulma, did you try to kill Trunks before he was born or not?"

"I tried to terminate the pregnancy because I didn't think I wanted a child at the time. And doing so would've been my right, Goku. Ever heard of Roe v. Wade?"

Goku stared at her jaw-dropped, shaking his head.

"Well, I'll tell you what Roe v. Wade is," she explained, tapping her cigarette butt on the railing to make some of the ash fall off the end. "It was a Supreme Court decision which ruled that all women have the right to make private medical decisions with their doctors alone and without interference from outside sources. That includes the abortion decision."

Goku blinked a few times. "I'm confused."

Bulma groaned. "About what?"

"What does this Roe v. Wade thing have to do with killing people before they're born?"

Finally Bulma blew up at him. "You can't kill someone before they're born because before birth, there is no person!" She paused for a moment, forcing herself to calm down, and then added, "Catch my drift, Goku?"

"Huh?"

"A fetus is not a person."

"Fetus?"

"Yes, a fetus is an entity that exists in the body of every pregnant woman that eventually becomes a child if allowed to grow."

"What? Entity?"

Bulma sighed. "Sorry, Goku. I'll try to keep this nice and simple for you. A fetus is like a seed and you and I are like plants," she explained, slowing down her speech as to allow him to register it all. "Every plant used to be a seed, but seeds themselves do not qualify as plants. Understand?"

"Uh…"

"In other words, a fetus is what becomes a person, but it itself is not a person."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not born yet."

"How does that make it not a person?"

"Because it's attached to the body of a real, actual person."

"And how does that make it not a person again?"

Bulma groaned in frustration. "One person cannot live inside the body of another. That concept is beyond ridiculous."

"Why? That's what I thought pregnancy was. One person living inside another."

"Well you thought wrong, Goku."

"Wait, wait. Are you saying that when Trunks was inside of you, he wasn't a person, and therefore it would've been okay to kill him then?"

Bulma paused. "You put it rather harshly. But, yes. In the same sense that swatting a mosquito on your arm is killing, so is abortion. Not exactly a crime, if you ask me."

Goku's eyes went wide. "Your son has the same worth to you as a mosquito?" cried the bewildered Saiyan, horrified.

Bulma panicked. "No, Goku! No!" She walked straight up to him and took his hand, bringing both it and her other fist to her chest. "I love Trunks with all my heart," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

Goku pulled his hand away and shook his head. "Bulma, I'm really confused now. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to divert my attention from the main issue with all these silly points you keep making."

"Oh, really?" replied Bulma, rolling her eyes. "And what's the main issue, Goku? If you don't mind telling me?"

"That you tried to kill Trunks! How could you do such a thing, Bulma? I thought you loved children! Why, Bulma? Why?" Goku backed away, a look of betrayal in his eyes.

"A fetus is not a child, Son Goku! How many times do I have to say that?" Bulma shouted.

"Don't lie to me. I hate it when you lie to me! Do you think I'm too stupid or something to handle the truth? I know full well my second child is a child and a person right at this very moment! He doesn't need to be born first," cried Goku, glaring at his lifelong friend. "Just because I was a bit naïve when we first met doesn't mean I haven't come a long way since then."

Bulma looked both surprised and skeptical. "When have I ever lied to you, Goku?"

"Plenty of times. You never told me why my tail had to be removed. You, Krillin and Yamcha withheld the truth. None of you ever told me that I was the one who transformed into a giant ape and killed my grandpa. I had to figure that out myself when the Saiyans arrived. You just thought I couldn't handle the truth about myself. Well, some friends you guys have turned out to be!"

"Goku, hold on now," she said, approaching him.

Goku floated up into the air, ready to depart. "Now I know how Vegeta felt. He said you lied to him too countless times. You're going to have a hell of a time earning his forgiveness. So good luck trying, Bulma."

"Wait!" Bulma cried.

"Let me know when you're ready to apologize," Goku said before disappearing into the night sky.

With her eyes on the heavens, Bulma collapsed to her knees. She threw her head into her hands as sobs of hopelessness poured out of her. But Goku was already gone.


	7. The Tarbles Turn

Chapter 7: The Tarbles Turn

Vegeta strolled through the lush courtyard next to a gorgeous woman with lilac skin and aquamarine hair. The infant Prince in her arms hiccupped and then went back to sucking on his tiny fist.

"That's a horrific story, Vegeta!" exclaimed Princess Sapphire, holding the baby closer. "Poor thing, I can't believe someone would… No! I can't think about it." She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the sick notion.

"I know. What's worse is it's really awkward having an heir without a queen. There's a danger in making up a false story, but at the same time the truth might put off potential ally leaders," conceded the elder Prince.

Sapphire gave him a sad look.

"This other Saiyan named Kakarott told me not to dwell on it," he admitted, "but I can't seem to help it."

"Well, Kakarott is right," replied Sapphire. "Maybe I can help you forget about it. With the pressure you're going to be under soon, you need to have your mind as grounded as possible." She paused to think. "I know! Why don't we take a royal retreat to the Copulah Ravine for the Moonstone Miners' Festival? I remember when we were kids you wanted to go but we never got the chance."

Vegeta thought for a minute. "I don't know. I still have a lot to do. I'm not even half way through rewriting the Tome yet."

"We'll only be gone for three days. Revising all the Saiyan laws and statutes can wait for a bit. I really think it'll be good for you to take a break. I'm sure Mother and Father will agree," she asserted.

"Well, alright," Vegeta relented.

"I'll go tell them right now," she announced. "How about we meet at the amphitheater after you're done teaching that martial arts class?"

Vegeta shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"Alright, I'll see you later." Sapphire handed the baby to the nurse, Ivory, and flew out of the courtyard toward the throne room.

Peridot called to Vegeta from the entrance to the royal hall. "Prince Vegeta. All of your pupils have gathered and are awaiting your arrival, Sir."

"Good," Vegeta replied, approaching the guard. "Let's go." Suddenly the Prince felt something buzz against his chest and his eyes popped open. "Kami damn it, Kakarott!" he hissed to himself. "Not even a full day goes by and he's already abusing the damn scouter."

"Your Highness? Is everything alright?" inquired Peridot.

"Yes, Peridot. Just give me a minute." Vegeta brought the scouter to his ear and pressed the call button. "What do you want, Kakarott?" he snapped. "I'm busy right now. I thought I told you only to contact me in emergencies!"

"But Vegeta! You were right! I talked to Bulma," exclaimed Goku from the other end of the line.

"Of course I was right," Vegeta replied, rolling his eyes. "Now did you call me about anything important or just to restate what I've already told you?"

"…"

"Kami damn it, Kakarott! I have enough crap to worry about without you pestering me every five minutes!"

"Aw," Goku murmured. He sounded disappointed.

"I mean it. I don't want to hear from you again for a whole Pellucian week. Is that understood?" snapped the royal.

"I guess," Goku grumbled, sounding like a petulant ten-year-old.

"Good. Now beat it, baka. I have to go." With that, Vegeta ended the call.

"_Meanie_," Goku whined as the line went dead.

…

_Two days later…_

Bulma turned the Gravitron up another 0.5 until it was at two times Earth's natural gravity. Her body fell flat against the floor, but she just gritted her teeth and struggled to crawl to the exercise mat five feet away.

"If you're not going to help me Goku, _I'll just have to do it myself_," she proclaimed through a clenched jaw.

When she reached the mat about a minute or two later, she clicked a button on the remote control and turned the big screen on to a sitting aerobics television program.

"And one, and two. Lift your leg up, and two. Breathe in, and two. How are we doing ladies?" came the effeminate voice of Wayne Blonda from the TV.

Bulma huffed and puffed, but could barely lift her leg off the floor. At last she screamed her frustration and tried to throw the remote at the TV, but missed due to the additional gravity. "Damn it!"

The screen suddenly changed to an image of her mother, Mrs. Briefs. "Sorry to interrupt, sweetums! Son Chi Chi is on the line again."

"Tell her you couldn't find me," snapped the young genius.

"Again? Schnookums, you know she'll only keep calling until she gets ahold of you."

"I don't care," murmured Bulma below her breath. "I can't talk to people right now. Please, Mom, just… I don't know. Just tell her I can't talk."

Mrs. Briefs sighed. "Alright, Bulma dear. But you had better come out for dinner or I'm going to really start worrying," she chided.

Bulma groaned. "Okay, Mom. Just call me when it's ready," she grated.

Mrs. Briefs nodded and turned off the screen. She picked up the phone again. "I'm sorry, Chi Chi. Bulma doesn't want to talk to anyone right now. She's in one of her moods. Now, I've got to get back to the stove, but I'll have her call you back as soon as she's feeling better." She gently put down the receiver.

…

Chi Chi slammed down the phone on the other end of the line, nearly cracking the device. "This is not acceptable! First Goku disappears for days and now Bulma refuses to talk to us. Gohan, I think we need to call the crew together and go over to Bulma's place," she declared worriedly.

Gohan looked up from his homework as his mother began rummaging through some drawers. She looked frustrated. "Ugh, what a mess! Where did your father put that darn phonebook?"

"Who are you going to call, Mom?"

"Krillin and Yamcha. And if you could go find Piccolo for me, I'd appreciate it. Hurry back," she said, searching through some loose-leaf papers.

"Sure thing." Gohan quickly put away his homework and flew out the front door. "Be back in a jiff, Mom," he called back.

Chi Chi finally found the phonebook at the bottom of a stack of papers and dialed Krillin's number. Conveniently enough, Yamcha was at Krillin's house when the phone rang. Before long, everyone had gathered together and they were all on their way to Capsule Corp in West City. They found Bulma's parents out on the back porch. Mrs. Briefs was putting dinner together on the patio table and Dr. Briefs was on a business call while waiting for the meal to be ready.

Chi Chi slammed the car door shut behind her and waltzed right up to Bulma's mother. "Mrs. Briefs, we're so sorry to show up out of the blue like this, but all of us are incredibly worried about Bulma!"

"Speak for yourself," muttered Piccolo, crossing his arms and leaning back against the Son family car. "The only reason I came along is because Gohan begged me to."

Gohan got out of the vehicle and waved to the Briefs with a big smile on his face.

"So what's the deal?" inquired Yamcha, getting out of the car. "Does Bulma need our help with something?"

Suddenly a sweaty, red-faced Bulma limped through the back door of the patio, muttering and cursing under her breath. She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to even notice the visitors.

"Oh, lovely! You're all just in time for dinner! Please, do sit down. I'll go get some extra chairs," chimed Mrs. Briefs, looking delighted. She placed a casserole down on the table and shimmied past her daughter, who raised an eyebrow in confusion as her mother passed by.

"Bulma!" Yamcha exclaimed, seeing her condition. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Who did this to you?" He ran over to her and inspected her for injuries.

Bulma almost jumped out of her skin. "Y-Yamcha? What are you…" She looked behind him and noticed Chi Chi, Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin all standing on the lawn looking at her. "What the heck are you guys doing here?" she inquired.

"We came to check on you, Bulma," divulged Chi Chi. "You have us scared half to death. What on Earth happened to you?"

"N-nothing happened," Bulma proclaimed. "I'm fine. I've just been busy training hard in the Gravity Room so I'm a bit tired."

Krillin scratched his waxed head. "I don't get it, Bulma. You'll never be able to take on Vegeta no matter how hard you train. What are you up to?" he inquired.

"I'd like to know the same thing," added Chi Chi. "And I'd also like to know why I haven't been able to get ahold of you for the last two days. I thought something must be terribly wrong!"

Bulma sighed wearily. "I'm sorry about that, Chi Chi. I've just been incredibly preoccupied."

Chi Chi sat down at the table across from her. "Do tell," she said, probing for more information.

As all of her friends surrounded her, pleading for answers, Bulma sighed and plopped down on one of the patio chairs. "Alright, guys, here's the deal…"

…

Two small space pods raced through the solar system heading for Earth. As they neared their planetary destination, the computer system in each altered the gas mixture to awaken the occupants from their stasis. A small, spiky-haired male stretched and turned on the intercom.

"Gure? Are you awake yet? We're almost there." He heard some shuffling, but received no response yet.

Just when he had begun to worry, a small female voice came through the receiver. "Yes, I'm here. It just took a second to get that mask off of my face. Is everything okay?"

"Yes," he replied, "just checking in with you before we land. It looks like we're entering the atmosphere now. I just had the computer do a quick scan of the planet and it detected several high power levels."

"Oh good. We had better find your brother quickly before they catch up to us. We have almost no fuel left."

The man glanced down at his fuel gauge, confirming his companion's report. "Yes, I see your point. I'm going to try to quickly reprogram the computer to land us closer to the high power levels." He typed a command in and waited. "Alright, we've altered our course just a little. This should buy us some extra time."

"Good. See you when we land, dear," she said, ending the transmission.

The pods descended through the Earth's atmosphere and zipped through the sky over West City, causing citizens to look up and point. They plunged into a mountain just on the eastern outskirts of the metropolis, leaving two smoking holes through the colossal land formation. The pods finally landed in a deep valley, replacing the abundant forest therein with a smoldering crater.

…

"So you see, guys, I won't be able to get around on Pellucid unless I can withstand the heavy gravity," Bulma explained, yawning in fatigue.

"But Bulma, what about Goku? What makes you think you'll be any more successful in finding Trunks than he was?" inquired Krillin.

"Yeah," added Yamcha. "I'd like to know how Goku plays into all of this."

"G-Goku?" uttered Bulma, eyes popping open. _Of course. Goku. How could I forget about him? _she thought, mentally slapping herself.

"You haven't told us what happened between you and Goku the other day. He said he was going to see you, but he never came home and I haven't seen him in a few days," revealed Chi Chi. "I don't know about you guys, but I think something smells fishy."

"No worries, Chi Chi!" Bulma quickly spouted. "It's all part of the plan. Goku is going to help me get _into_ the palace," she lied, not wanting to reveal Goku's change of heart nor the reason behind it.

"Wha…? Really?" replied Chi Chi, looking surprised.

"Yup, but it's top secret so nobody say anything about it to anyone!" Bulma uttered, looking a bit flustered. "Not a word!"

Chi Chi raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Well if you say so, Bul…"

Suddenly Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, and Yamcha all simultaneously bolted out of their seats, instantly silencing the two women, and stared into the eastward sky.

"What is it, guys?" inquired Chi Chi, taken aback.

"Someone is here," revealed Yamcha. "Someone with a high power level. And it's not Goku or Vegeta."

"Who could it be?" Gohan wondered aloud. "I don't recognize the energy."

"Come on, guys," declared Krillin. "We better go check it out. It could be dangerous."

Gohan started to float up into the air, only to have his heel snatched by his mother. "Oh, no, you don't, young man! You're not getting involved in any more of these ridiculous battles. I won't have you falling behind in school again like you did while you were on Namek. Piccolo, Yamcha, and Krillin will just have to suffice this time unless your father decides to show up!"

"Don't be ridiculous," retorted Piccolo. "We don't even know if these power levels are hostile or not. Just let the kid tag along. I won't let him get into any trouble. You have my word."

Chi Chi still looked skeptical.

"Come on, Chi Chi," added Krillin. "We just want to check it out."

Chi Chi huffed. "Fine, but Gohan better be back soon. He has school tomorrow morning."

"Don't worry, Chi Chi. We'll be back soon," chimed Yamcha.

With that, the Z fighters rose up into the air and sped off toward the source of the commotion, leaving the Briefs and Chi Chi behind on the Capsule Corp patio.

…

The man and the tiny alien female rose to their feet as the hatches of their space pods opened automatically.

"Alright. Now all we have to do is look for the highest power level and that's sure to be him," he said, pressing a button on his scouter. He scanned the horizon. "Hm. Several high power levels seem to be coming toward us. But the highest one is in the opposite direction."

"I wonder who else is here aside from your brother," replied his companion.

The man shrugged. "Let's go meet them and find out," he suggested, rising into the air. "Ah, there they are!" He pointed into the sky as four distant figures appeared and began to grow larger. He lowered himself to the ground again and waited beside her.

Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, and Piccolo flew over. The four landed nearby and examined the oddball alien duo with raised eyebrows.

"A Saiyan!" exclaimed Krillin, noticing the waving appendage behind the taller newcomer.

Gohan looked confused. "Ve… Vegeta? Is that you?"

Tarble blinked. "No, I am not Prince Vegeta. But I do happen to be looking for him. My name is Tarble, and this is Gure," he said, signaling his companion. "Would any of you happen to know if that high power level off in the distance is Vegeta? A Namekian told me I would be able to find him on Earth," divulged the mysterious Saiyan.

There was a moment of silence.

"Vegeta has left this planet," Piccolo finally revealed. "So I'm afraid you are out of luck."

"Wh-what? Oh, no! Tarble, what are we going to do?" exclaimed Gure in her little voice.

"Really? When? We need his help! But we don't have enough fuel for another trip into space!" Tarble replied, looking worried.

Krillin stepped forward. "So you guys aren't hostile then, right? We were worried you might be here to do harm to this planet when we first sensed your presence. That's why we rushed over in such a hurry."

Gure looked shocked at the short man's remark. "No, of course not! Why would we want to harm this poor little planet? We're here because we need Vegeta's help. We're terribly sorry if we had you all worried."

Everyone looked relieved, although Yamcha's relief was mixed with confusion. "And what makes you two think someone as selfish as Vegeta would be willing to help you?" he inquired skeptically. "Vegeta isn't exactly the charitable type, you know. In fact, I've never known him to help anybody unless he knows he'll get something out of it for himself."

"That may be true, but we've run out of options," conceded Tarble. "A hostile force has followed us here and my big brother might be the only one who can help! I'll get down on my knees and beg him if I have to!"

"_Big brother_?" shouted Piccolo, Gohan, Yamcha, and Krillin in unison.

"Vegeta's got a little bro?" inquired Gohan, dumbstruck.

"Yes, but if Vegeta's not here, we are doomed!" Tarble proclaimed. "Unless any of you know where to find more Saiyan space pods. Or perhaps some fuel. Do you?" he beseeched, looking hopeful.

"Come with us," replied Gohan. "I think we can help you out."

Gohan led everyone back to Capsule Corp, where Chi Chi, Bulma, and Bulma's parents were sitting on the patio eating dinner and waiting for the others to return.

Chi Chi jumped up in surprise when she caught sight of the unfamiliar Saiyan. "Who are you? What do you want?" she charged.

Tarble cringed back. "N-nothing, Miss. I just came to this planet looking for Vegeta, but this friendly Namekian has told me he is not here. I was hoping one of you could help us. My mate Gure and I," he gestured to the two-foot-tall round-headed alien female with him, "are stranded on this planet because our Saiyan space pods are out of fuel. If you have any more fuel, we need your help!"

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"This Saiyan says Vegeta is his brother," divulged Gohan.

Chi Chi and all three Briefs fell out of their seats.

"_What_?" exclaimed Bulma. "Vegeta has a _brother_?"

"Yes, my name is Tarble. So you know Prince Vegeta? Can you help me find him, Miss? Please, it's very important. A terrible brother duo named Abo and Cado have followed us here. They're incredibly strong! If we leave now, we can lead them away from your planet. Please, do you have the kind of fuel we need?"

Bulma stood up, a determined look on her face. "I've got something better."

…

Five minutes later, Tarble, Gure, Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin, Gohan, Chi Chi, Bulma and Dr. Briefs were all standing in front of the Gravitron.

"We designed this based off of the Saiyan space pods," explained Bulma. "I'll let you use it if you train me to withstand five times Earth's normal gravity."

Tarble blinked in surprise. "But there's no time! Abo and Cado will be here any minute!"

"No, I mean you must train me while we're traveling in space. I'm going with you. We can leave now. Let me go pack some clothes," she explained.

"But where are we going?" inquired Gure.

"To find Vegeta," replied Bulma.

"Ah! So you know where he is?" chimed Tarble, looking hopeful.

"Yes. He's in a place called Planet Pellucid. It's not too far from here," she divulged.

"Pellucid?" said Tarble. "We know where that this. I've even been there once or twice when I was a kid!"

"Good! Then we won't have to stop for directions. You can help me set the coordinates," Bulma said, disappearing into her house.

Tarble turned to the others. "It was awfully nice of you all to help us out. I don't think we could ever thank you enough."

Krillin squinted at him suspiciously. "Are you _sure_ you're Vegeta's brother?"

Tarble raised an eyebrow. "Of course I am."

"I mean," Krillin continued, "you look like him and all, but you sure don't act like him."

"Heh," Tarble chuckled. "Yeah, we've always been opposites," he admitted.

Everyone in the room except Tarble and Gure fell over again. Tarble blinked in surprise. "Is… is something wrong?" he asked, looking confused.

Gohan got up from the floor. "How much younger are you than Vegeta?" he inquired, wanting to know more.

Tarble thought for a minute. "I think about two and a half Earth years. Why?"

Gohan scratched his head. "So you knew each other as kids?"

Tarble nodded.

"Wow…" uttered Gohan.

Yamcha looked at Gure. "Why don't you leave your friend here with us? It'll be safer for her," he suggested.

Tarble and Gure looked at each other. "You Earthlings would be willing to look after her for me?" inquired the Saiyan.

"Of course," chimed Dr. Briefs. "She can stay at Capsule Corp with us. We'd be glad to have you, my dear. There's plenty of room available."

Gure bowed to him. "Thank you very much, kind sir. But I'd prefer to stay with Tarble. I don't want anything to happen to him," she replied.

"No, Gure. I think we should accept the offer. I don't want you getting hurt," Tarble retorted. "I promise, I'll come back for you when this is all over."

"But Tarble if something goes wrong I don't want you to have to face Abo and Cado alone!" she exclaimed, running over to him.

He kneeled down to embrace her. "It would put my mind at ease if you were safe," he told her. "Please, Gure."

She sighed sadly. "Alright, Tarble. If that'll make you happy," she conceded.

"Thank you," he said, looking very relieved.

"They're here!" exclaimed Krillin, pointing towards two space pods thundering through the sky overhead. One of them rammed through and completely demolished one of the tallest towers in the city. Screams could be heard in the distance. "Yamcha, run! Go tell Bulma to hurry up!"

Tarble and Gure grabbed a hold of each other, looking fearful.

Dr. Briefs took Tarble by the hand and led him into the Gravitron. He got the coordinates of Planet Pellucid from Tarble and set the route, then explained how to use the gravity controls. Tarble listened intently and gave a nod.

Finally, Dr. Briefs lowered his glasses and looked Tarble directly in the eye. "Keep my daughter safe," he beseeched, in a very serious tone.

Tarble nodded again. "Yes, sir."

Bulma sprinted up the stairs into the Gravitron. "Hurry up with that suitcase, Yamcha!" she called back.

Yamcha barreled in dragging an overstuffed suitcase behind him. "Geez, Bulma, you always over-pack. Can't you encapsulate this stuff first?"

"No time!" she retorted. "We've got to get out of here ASAP!"

"They're heading this way!" shouted Krillin from the Capsule Corp lawn.

Bulma shoved Tarble into the passenger launch seat and took her own place, buckling up for safety. "Buckle up, Tarble," she decreed. He promptly obeyed, following her example. "Clear the launch site!" she said into the loud speaker.

Dr. Briefs, Krillin, Yamcha, Piccolo, Gohan, Gure, and Chi Chi cleared the area. "You are cleared for launch," announced Dr. Briefs through the intercom.

Soon enough, the Gravitron had blasted off towards the heavens. Everyone remaining on the ground all sighed in relief. But their respite was short lived. Two dots appeared on the horizon barely half a minute later.

"Chi Chi, Gure, Dr. Briefs," snapped Piccolo. "Get inside. Now!"

They all did as the Namekian instructed and discretely peered out at the scene through the closed blinds of the living room window.

A rotund red alien with two horns on his head and a rotund blue alien with one horn landed on the Capsule Corp lawn, leering grotesquely at the tense Z fighters.

"Can we help you two?" inquired Piccolo, nonchalantly.

Abo smirked. "Why, yes. We happen to be looking for a Saiyan, about yay high," he said, holding his hand about five feet off the ground, "and a young Furutisian woman. Have you perchance seen either of them?" he inquired, diplomatically enough.

"Ah," replied Piccolo, clicking his tongue at them. "It seems you just missed them. How unfortunate. Better luck next time."

Abo and Cado's composure suddenly dropped. "Wh-what? What do you mean? Where did they go?" asked Cado, clenching a fist.

Piccolo shot a glance skyward.

Abo and Cado looked up at the sky. Abo hit a button on his scouter. The device beeped and confirmed what the Namekian had said. "He's right! They just left the planet!"

"Where are they going, Namekian?" charged Cado.

Piccolo grinned at him. "I believed they mentioned something about going to a 'Planet Pellucid'. Never heard of it myself, so I can't help you with the coordinates," he admitted.

"Damn! Quick, Cado, let's get back to the pods." Ado glanced back to the Z fighters before departing. "We thank you, friends. Perhaps some time in the future we might be able to pay you a longer visit. Until then." They both flew up into the air and disappeared in the direction they had come.

Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha gritted their teeth, but Piccolo just continued smirking as the invaders shrunk into the distance.

"Those jerks! Who do they think they are harassing Tarble and Gure like that?" spat Gohan.

Gure poked her head out of the house. "Are they gone yet?" she murmured in a quiet voice, trembling a bit.

"Yeah, they're gone," confirmed Krillin. "So what's with those guys? Why are they after you?" he asked.

Gure stepped onto the lawn. "They used to work for Frieza," she explained. "Since Frieza's death, they have been terrorizing my home planet Furutsu. For some reason, they hate Saiyans. So when they discovered Tarble and I, they gave him the beating of his life in front of me and nearly killed him. I used my psionic powers to trick them into thinking he was fleeing from them rather than lying on the ground bleeding. They ran after the illusion and that bought us enough time to steal their space pods and use them to flee to one of Frieza's abandoned planets."

"Oh, really? Wow," Yamcha exclaimed, unintentionally interrupting.

Gure nodded. "I found a regeneration tank in one of the deserted colonies and used it to heal Tarble. But Abo and Cado refused to take their humiliation in stride. They sent for two more attack balls and used the time Tarble needed to heal to catch up with us. We barely escaped the abandoned planet with our lives. They were right behind us. Since then, they've been pursuing us from planet to planet. It's been about a whole Earth year now that we've been on the run from them," she admitted, tears starting to form in her little dot eyes. She fell to her knees and cried into her hands. "We j-just want to live in peace, but they won't let us."

Chi Chi, standing in the doorway, walked over to Gure and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. We won't let them hurt you any more." She turned to the Z fighters. "Gohan, Piccolo, I need you two to do whatever it takes to find Goku. We need his help for this."

Gohan and Piccolo nodded and flew off together to go in search of Goku.

Gure took Chi Chi's hand. "Thank you so much, Miss. What is your name?"

"I'm Chi Chi," she said warmly. "Goku is my husband. He's a Super Saiyan and is strong enough to put those two bullies in their place. I'll make sure he does just that. You have my word!"

Gure smiled up at Chi Chi. "You think we could send him after them? Maybe he can help Prince Vegeta fight them. I'm not sure the Prince will need help, but if he does, it would be wonderful to have your husband on our side."

Chi Chi gritted her teeth slightly at the use of the word 'Prince' accompanying Vegeta's name, but she hid it well enough. Now was not the time to dwell on grudges. "Of course," she replied, forcing a smile. "That's just what I plan to do."

…

As they flew back to their space pods, Abo pressed the call button on his scouter. "Brothers Grim to Mothership. Come in Mothership. This is Abo."

For a moment, Abo was nearly deafened by a loud radio buzz, but then a voice came through the receiver. "Mothership to Abo. This is Apex. I hear you loud and clear. What do you need?"

"The refugees have fled again. This time, they've gone to Planet Pellucid in a new ship. We need you to look up the planet coordinates and relay them to us as soon as possible. Also, contact all starships immediately to see if any are near enough to the escape route to head them off before they arrive. They may or may not be in Saiyan pods, so tell everyone to be on the lookout."

Abo could hear the sound of typing for a few moments.

"Read and sent," came the reply. "Pellucid is a binary star planet with coordinates 9322XY. Now determining the location of available starships." Another pause came.

Abo winked at Cado to let him know they had found the coordinates. Cado gave a look of triumph.

"Starship 49B2 _Dark Oblivion_ may be close enough to head off targets. Estimating potential ambush coords. Sending them to Captain Mareth. He will report directly to you. Is there anything else I can do for you today, sir?"

"No, that covers it. Thanks very much. Out." As the call ended, Abo glanced over his shoulder to his brother Cado and grinned. "We got 'em." Cado grinned back.

The two brothers landed by their attack balls and got in. Ado quickly set the coordinates and soon they blasted off into outer space, laughing wickedly during the entire ascent.

…

_Three days later…_

On the opposite side of the planet from Capsule Corp, Goku slept naked on a lush tropical island beach. A dying campfire sent plumes of hazy smoke up into the starlit sky and the bones of a giant fish lay discarded some yards away. The gentle breeze and rush of the ocean did little to calm the Earth Saiyan's troubled dreams as he tossed and turned on the warm fine-grained sand.

Since the failed battle, Goku's mind had been awash with confusion and chaos. Vegeta's story had made his distress a million times worse, and it did not help that Vegeta had shouted at him over the scouter.

By going away for a few days, Goku hoped to help himself mentally process all that had happened. But it did not seem to be working. When the Z fighter's troubled unconscious mind detected two fast approaching powers, he bolted up from his slumber and peered around the beach, trying to reorient himself to the physical world.

After he had gotten his bearings, he stood up in the sand and realized that he had gone Super Saiyan in his sleep. _That's how they must've found me_, he thought. He analyzed the approaching powers. It was Gohan and Piccolo. _Something must be wrong_. Goku quickly dressed himself in his usual orange gi outfit and immediately teleported to the location of his pursuers.

Gohan and Piccolo stopped in midair, eyes wide in surprise as he appeared before them.

"Dad!" exclaimed Gohan, looking both relieved and excited at the same time. "We've been looking for you for days! Where have you been?"

"Really?" Goku said, scratching his head. "Gee. Sorry, Son. I've been meditating a lot. So what's up, guys?"

"Goku, we have a situation," divulged Piccolo. Gohan nodded his agreement, with a much more serious look on his face.

"What kind of situation?" inquired Goku.

"IT us back to Capsule Corp and we'll tell you," replied Piccolo.

"Alright, hold on to me," Goku instructed. Piccolo put his hand on Goku's shoulder and Gohan put his hand on Goku's forearm. The Earth Saiyan put two fingers to his head and all three of them vanished.

…

"Excellent. When will they be ready to head to Earth?" inquired Vegeta, pleased that his plans were finally coming together.

"A couple of days, Your Highness. We have enough top-notch geneticists to get the job done within a few months. Although, we could probably cut that down to weeks if you would lower your rigid standards just a little bit."

Vegeta drew his brows together. "Don't be ridiculous, Dr. Zircon. I must have superior stock to breed my hybrid warrior populace. I will have nothing less than the best!" declared the arrogant Prince.

"Yes, Sir. I will tell them to take their time," conceded the scientist.

Vegeta grinned. "Good," he replied. "Keep sending me progress reports. You are dismissed for now. I will look forward to hearing from you, Doctor."

Dr. Zircon nodded. He rose to his feet and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Doctor," Vegeta added. The Pellucian scientist glanced back over his shoulder and Vegeta tossed him a bag of coins. "This is for all the extra work you've been putting in. I know it must be a strain on you and your laboratory staff serving two Crowns at the same time. It won't be for much longer. That, I guarantee."

Dr. Zircon opened the bag and poured several rare Presunian coins into his open hand. He grinned. "Thank you, my Lord. I will ensure that this endeavor has been well worth your while." He pocketed the money and left.

"Prince Vegeta, Her Highness Princess Sapphire wishes to see you," announced Feldspar, poking his head into the deliberations hall.

Vegeta groaned slightly_. I shouldn't have promised her a retreat while I'm so swamped with business_, thought the Prince, cursing his earlier foolishness. "Tell her to come in," he replied.

Princess Sapphire ran into the room and right up to Vegeta. "Hey, Vegeta! All the arrangements have been made. We can leave this evening. I'm so excited!"

Vegeta forced a smile on his face. "Great," he said. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut the trip a day or two short. I have some very important ventures underway. I hope you don't mind."

Her face fell. "Aw," she said, sounding disappointed. "But what about the cosmic lightshow on the last day of the festival?"

Vegeta frowned a bit. He had wanted to see the legendary lightshow since he was seven. "Well, alright. I suppose if you allow me to engage in some business while we're there, then we can stay for the lightshow," he conceded.

Sapphire smiled. "Sure, I can do that." But then she eyed him cautiously. "But you better not be like Father and end up working through our entire retreat," she warned, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Ha!" replied the Prince. "The only way that could happen is if some unforeseen emergency were to occur. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Good," she replied. "We can eat together in my private dining hall and then take off. I'll see you later." She turned and left.

_Maybe this won't be so bad_, Vegeta thought hopefully.

Feldspar came in again when the King's daughter had gone. "Your Highness, the Lacolic diplomats have arrived."

Vegeta suppressed another groan. "Right. Send them in," he conceded. _This is going to be a long day_.

…

"Good. That's better," lauded Tarble. "I think you're getting the hang of it, Bulma."

Bulma wiped some sweat from her brow and nearly collapsed on the floor. Tarble caught her. "Is it alright for me to take a break now?" she murmured, panting.

Tarble shrugged and placed her back on her feet. "Yeah, I think you've earned it."

"Thank Kami!" she declared, taking a seat on her exercise mat.

"Here," he said, offering her what looked like a small transparent pill. "Swallow this. It will help your muscles recover faster."

"Thanks," she said, taking it and trying to swallow it. She choked a little.

He offered her a glass of water. "Here, Bulma. Your throat must be really dry after all that exercise," he said.

She took the glass and started chugging it like there was no tomorrow.

"After a five minute break, we can up the gravity again," he said, causing her to spew water out of her nose and cough. Tarble's eyes popped open in concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Bulma's face fell after she was done clearing her throat. "Why is this so hard?" she groaned in a raspy voice, coughing a bit more.

"Because you've never done it before," he replied, smiling. "Once you get used to it, it'll feel no different than Earth's gravity. And then when you go back to normal gravity, it'll feel like you're walking on air," he revealed.

Bulma fell silent for a moment before glancing at him suspiciously. "Why are you so nice?" she inquired, narrowing her eyes.

"We're not playing the why game now, are we?" Tarble asked, making a face.

"Oh, come on!" she retorted. "I've only asked you two why questions." She folded her arms shakily over her chest, agitated. "Seriously, though. Why are you so nice?"

Tarble raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. "Well, I don't know. Why is anybody the way they are?"

"No, I'm serious. You're related to Vegeta. And everyone knows he's the biggest prick in the universe! How is it even remotely possible that you have managed to become a decent person?" she charged, brandishing a fist slightly.

Tarble stepped back. "Well have _you_ ever had a brother or sister?" he inquired.

Bulma shook her head. "No, I'm an only child," she divulged. "But what does that have anything to do with it?"

"Well," he explained, "lots of brothers and sisters behave differently on purpose. Really, it's a psychological thing to avoid being compared to the other."

"Do you and Vegeta have any other brothers or sisters?" she asked after a brief pause.

"We had sisters," he divulged, "but they are all dead now."

"How many?"

"Three," he replied.

Bulma blinked. "Names and birth orders?" she charged.

Tarble grinned nervously. "Well, let's see. There was Guma, Verdure, and Herbace. Guma was the firstborn. Verdure was the second born. Vegeta was third born. Herbace was the fourth born. Then I was the last." He paused. "Why so curious?"

"So," Bulma said, ignoring his question entirely, "you knew Vegeta when he was just a kid?"

"Well, yes. I last saw him when I was six or seven," he conceded.

Bulma pulled her legs in to sit cross-legged. "What was he like?" she asked.

Tarble gave her a look of annoyance. "He was just like Father, if you must know."

"And what was your father like?" she queried further.

"Arrogant," he huffed.

"Hm," replied Bulma, looking blankly at him. "I guess Vegeta really hasn't changed that much over the years after all. So were you all considered princes and princesses on Planet Vegeta?"

"Yes, but Vegeta was the Crown Prince—the only heir to the throne," Tarble explained. "That's why he bears the honored name of Vegeta." He paused to think for a moment. "So why do you want to find Vegeta anyway?" he finally asked.

Bulma drew her brows together resentfully. "Because he took something that belongs to me and I want it back," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away to sulk for a bit.

Tarble looked surprised. "Really?" he said, scratching his head. "What the heck did he take from you?"

"My baby," she divulged.

"_What_?" Tarble spouted, falling backwards and landing on his rear.

"That's right. Vegeta kidnapped my son Trunks and I'm going to Pellucid to get him back. I don't care what it takes!" she declared, bolting to her feet despite the intense gravity.

Tarble looked confused. "What interest could a Saiyan warrior possibly have in a human child?" he wondered aloud, scratching his head.

Bulma gritted her teeth. "Well, you see," she murmured, "he's kind of… well…" She seemed to struggle with the wording for a few moments, but suddenly she rounded on him fiercely. "He's the father! Okay?" she snapped.

Tarble's eyes shot wide open. "Wh-_what_?" he bellowed. "You're telling me that I have a _nephew_?"

"Hey," Bulma chirped, ignoring the Saiyan's apparent shock. "Maybe you can help me get Trunks back from Vegeta. Perhaps you can get Vegeta to reveal where he is!" she said excitedly.

Tarble started backing away cautiously. "I d-don't know, Bulma. The very last thing I want to do in this lifetime is incur my brother's wrath!" he replied, trembling a bit. "I've got a lot to live for!"

"Oh, come on!" Bulma shot back. "You're a Saiyan prince, for Pete's sake. Where's your damn pride?" she derided.

A drop of sweat appeared on his brow and he gave her a nervous smile before gulping quite audibly.

Bulma was tempted to roll her eyes. "Well, listen. We still have a good week left for you to find your nerve. Perhaps it'll just take some time," she said. "Remember, _you're Saiyan royalty_. You don't let anything stand in your path!"

Tarble wiped his brow. "Perhaps we should get back to your training," he suggested, hoping to change the subject.

"Absolutely!" agreed Bulma. "When you see how determined a mere human woman like little ole me can be, I'm sure you'll realize that you've got everything in the universe going for you. So let's do this!" she decreed, brandishing both fists in the air over her head.

"R-right," Tarble conceded, turning up the gravity a notch. He saw Bulma stiffen, but her tenacy held her upright. "Now," he continued. "We won't have enough time before landing to get you completely comfortable with the intense gravity. It will still be quite strenuous on you for a while. But if you keeping making this amount of progress, you should easily survive the descent and be able to get around on the planet's surface well enough."

Bulma gave a quick, but resolute, nod and they continued with her training.

…

"What do you mean Vegeta has a little brother?" Goku exclaimed. "He never mentioned anything about having a living relative!"

"I know, but has Vegeta ever been known to share a lot of information about himself?" inquired Krillin.

"N-no," Goku conceded. "But Vegeta said he and I were the last two pureblooded Saiyans in the universe. That's what he told me on Namek."

"Goku. Are you saying it comes as a surprise to you that Vegeta might be a bald-faced liar?" retorted Yamcha.

Gure stepped forward. "I don't believe Prince Vegeta is aware that Tarble survived their planet's destruction," she explained. "King Vegeta sent him away just before the war with Frieza because he was not strong enough to fight. Prince Vegeta was on Frieza's ship at the time. He may be under the impression that Tarble died along with the rest of the Saiyan race."

Goku blinked at the two-foot-tall alien woman, having just noticed her. "Who are you?" he asked, scratching his head.

"My name is Gure. Tarble came to my planet when he was seven years old. In Earth terms, I am his wife," she explained.

"W-wife?" Goku sputtered. As the little alien woman looked nothing like a Saiyan, the news was quite shocking.

Gure nodded, and then giggled.

"Well I want to meet this so-called brother of Vegeta's," Goku declared. He thought back to the painting he had glanced in Vegeta's suite on Pellucid. "What does this Tarble guy look like?" he asked.

"He looks a lot like Vegeta, actually," Gohan revealed. "I almost thought he _was_ Vegeta, to be honest."

Goku brooded for a minute. He had only seen the family portrait for a few split seconds, so he had trouble recalling some of the less prominent faces on it. King Vegeta and Prince Vegeta's had been the most obvious, of course. He considered teleporting back to the Prince's chambers to get a second look, but he didn't want Vegeta to get mad at him for coming again without an invitation. He sighed.

"So can you help us, sir?" inquired Gure. "If so, you'll have to leave for Pellucid immediately! Abo and Cado are already ahead of you and not far behind Tarble. Please, help my husband! I beg you!" she pled, taking a hold of his orange pant legs.

"Sure thing," Goku replied. "And getting there in time won't be a problem. I can easily beat them to Pellucid in a split second with my trusty instant transmission technique."

Gure scratched her pearly smooth head. "Instant transmission technique?"

Goku nodded and demonstrated by teleporting to the far side of the Capsule Corp lawn with his instant transmission. "See? It's a method of teleportation using your mind," he explained, pressing a finger to his temple. "I learned how to do it a few years ago on Planet Yardrat."

Dr. Briefs suddenly appeared in the yard. "Goku! I'm so glad you're here, my boy," he declared, puffing on his pipe in the usual manner.

"Hiya, Doc!" greeted Goku, giving a wave. "Say, where's Bulma? I need to ask her something."

"Bulma? My daughter went with the new Saiyan to Planet Pellucid," Dr. Briefs informed him.

Goku looked surprised. "Wh-what?"

"That's right," confirmed Gure. "Miss Bulma decided to accompany Tarble to Pellucid. They told me to stay here so I would be safe."

Suddenly Goku drew his brows together. He knew immediately what it was that his childhood friend was after. _Did she learn _nothing_ from that talk we had?_ he huffed inwardly.

At the quizzical look on everyone's faces, the Earth Saiyan's expression lightened again. He reminded himself that he should not jump to conclusions. _Hm. Perhaps she just wants to reconcile with Vegeta like I suggested. If only Vegeta were a bit more forgiving, this could have a real nice outcome_, he thought whimsically as visions of Disney fairytale happily-ever-afters danced through his head. As charming as the thought was, Goku still had feelings of jealousy to wrestle with. _What am I thinking? Bulma doesn't deserve Vegeta after what she did! I'd never betrayed him like that. It's downright unforgivable! She had her chance._

"We thought you knew that she would be going to Pellucid, Goku," chimed Chi Chi, interrupting his thoughts. "Bulma said you were part of the plan to get Trunks back from Vegeta. Something about helping her find a way inside the palace."

Goku's eyes widened. "Wh-_what_?" he uttered. _So she isn't looking for reconciliation after all! She just wants to steal Trunks back from Vegeta like before._ Clearly, the blue-haired genius had elected not to tell the Z gang about her argument with him because she would then have to reveal the reason for it—that she had tried to kill Trunks before he was born. Goku's jaw tightened. _Bulma is not going to get away with this!_ he thought angrily, realizing his initial suspicions had been correct.

The Earth Saiyan had to admit that the young Briefs woman was even more cunning than he had previously thought. Goku sat down on the patio steps to analyze the situation. _Frankly, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if she plans to use Vegeta's own brother against him to retrieve the baby,_ he considered. Goku knew he would have to fill Vegeta in on these new developments right away.

"Well, Goku? Are you part of the plan or not?" Chi Chi charged, snapping Goku out of his reverie.

"Mom," chimed Gohan. "Bulma asked us not to talk about this. Remember? She said it was top secret."

Goku gritted his teeth again. Of course Bulma wouldn't want him to know. It was all just a big cover up.

"Well I don't like being left in the dark all the time!" Chi Chi shot back, crossing her arms and resting them atop her swollen belly. She turned away from the crew, huffing angrily.

Goku raised an eyebrow, trying to piece together what the others were saying. He needed to find out more information, if possible. "How does Bulma plan to survive the intense gravity on Pellucid?" he asked.

"Tarble is training her," explained Dr. Briefs. "During our last transmission, she looked completely exhausted. Poor girl's never worked so hard in her life."

"My little girl is so determined!" chirped Mrs. Briefs, wiping away a tear of happiness. "I've never been so proud," she squeaked.

"So you really can't tell us anything else about the plan, Goku?" inquired Krillin. "Please, we promise we won't tell anyone! Right, guys?" he said, looking to the others for confirmation.

"Right!" agreed Gohan. Chi Chi and the others nodded their agreement as well.

Goku suddenly saw red. "Bulma lied," he snapped, startling everyone. They all looked at him with confusion written in their eyes. The Earth Saiyan seemed to look past them, unsmiling.

"About what, Goku?" Krillin inquired, cautiously. Gohan and Chi Chi appeared to be speechless in response to their loved one's unexpected outburst.

"You'll have to find out from her," Goku conceded, turning away from them. "I've got to get myself to Pellucid to help this Tarble fellow. And there's a few things I'll need to do before I go."

"Goku honey, is everything alright?" asked Chi Chi, concerned. She approached him and placed a warm hand on his forearm.

"No, Chi Chi. Everything is not alright. I'm sorry I can't divulge any more information right now. It's a complicated situation. I'm still trying to process it myself," he said, peering into the distance.

Dr. Briefs looked from Chi Chi to Goku and back again. "Everyone, let's give these two some privacy and see if we can go and contact the spaceship," he said, beckoning the others to follow.

Goku briefly nodded his head as everyone but himself and Chi Chi followed Dr. Briefs into the laboratory.

When everyone had gone inside, Chi Chi put her hand on Goku's shoulder. "Goku sweetie, I ought to apologize for my behavior over the past couple of weeks. I shouldn't have blamed you for any of the awful things that have been going on. I know you always try your best and you have the very best of intentions."

She slowly fell to her knees and started to cry, causing Goku to turn his head in surprise. "I've just been so stressed out," she continued. "Why did all of this have to happen in our third trimester? I really hope it doesn't affect the baby. I just don't know what to do, Goku. I'm so worried!" she bawled.

Goku kneeled down next to her. "It's alright, Chi. Sometimes life throws curveballs at us. But we've always gotten through it, haven't we? We're survivors, you and I," he reminded her in a comforting tone.

She threw her arms around him, catching him off guard. "Thank you, Goku," she whispered, wetting his gi lightly with her tear-streaked face.

"Hey, I know!" Goku suggested. "Let's go to the Yimbaro hot springs for a few hours? That ought to help you unwind a bit. Besides, I won't be needed on Pellucid for a few days since it'll take Bulma and Tarble another week to arrive."

As much as he wanted to get in contact with Vegeta right away, Goku knew he still had important family obligations to attend to. Chi Chi's temperament could indeed harm the health of their unborn child if they weren't vigilant. That's what the doctors had said.

"Well, alright," she conceded. "But if the water's too hot, I won't be able to stay in for long on account of the baby." Chi Chi appreciated the gesture. It had been years since Goku had taken time off just to spend with her. The more she thought about it, the more she missed the old days.

"No problem," replied Goku. "We can also just lounge on the beach. It's a lot warmer in Yimbaro than it is here since it's so close to the equator."

"Alright," she agreed. "Let's do it."

Goku put his arm on her shoulder and they disappeared.

…

In the outreaches of space, the _Dark Oblivion_ moved into position, preparing to ambush its target. Scout pods sent out earlier had confirmed that the refugees were travelling in what appeared to be a very large Saiyan pod. From the images sent back, Captain Mareth could see that it was a highly modified version of the typical attack ball.

"We must find out who the scientist is that designed that vessel," declared Mareth. "He could turn out to be invaluable to us."

"Certainly, Captain. We will probe the occupants for information as soon as we have them in our grasp," confirmed Necron, the fish-faced minion. He fiddled with the controls for a minute and then gestured towards the main radar screen. "Ah, here they come!"

"Excellent," replied Mareth. "Turn on the cloaking field."

Necron nodded. "Already done, sir."

Mareth grabbed a hold of the intercom and shouted loudly into it, "All hands to stations. The enemy approaches. Man the suction beam. Clear the landing area. Hurry, you ingrates!"

The crew bolted up and began running around the ship in what looked like a scene of complete chaos, preparing for the ambush attack as per the Captain's orders.

Captain Mareth smirked. "Poor fools," he uttered to himself, chuckling. "I bet they have no idea what they're about to fly into." He let loose a bout of insane laughter as the suction beam shot forth and seized the refugee ship in mid-flight.

…

Aboard the Briefs' space pod, Bulma and Tarble were in the midst of chatting with the Z gang back at Capsule Corp through the interstellar video telephone. "Yup, there's nothing to worry about, guys. We're making great time," Bulma reported happily.

As if on cue, the ship's momentum changed sharply. Bulma and Tarble went tumbling across the floor and collided with the titanium wall. Tarble's body acted like a cushion for Bulma's during the impact, to her good fortune.

"Ow," mumbled Tarble, rubbing his head.

"Bulma! What's going on? Are you alright?" shouted Yamcha through the big screen. "Where'd you guys go?"

"Alert! Alert!" blared the ship's computer. Red lights began flashing wildly. "The Z Commando is caught in alien tractor beam. Alert! Alert! Hostile forces expected."

Dr. Briefs shoved Yamcha out of the way. "Bulma, get to the controls!" he exclaimed.

"Whaaaaa…?" screeched Bulma, pushing herself up off of Tarble. "Why didn't you warn us about the enemy ship before they caught us, you stupid computer?" she spat at the machine of her own making, brandishing a fist.

"Target was using cloaking device," reported the computer.

"Damn it!" cursed Bulma.

Just as Dr. Briefs was about to start spouting instructions, the screen turned fuzzy and then buzzed off completely.

"We've lost contact!" reported Dr. Briefs. He turned to Gohan. "Quickly, boy, go get your father. Hurry! This is an emergency. My daughter might be in big trouble."

Gohan quickly complied and ran to find his father.

"Oh, no!" cried Gure. "Tarble! It must be an enemy ship affiliated with Abo and Cado. They'll hurt him. Please, somebody do something!"


	8. Taken

Chapter 8: Taken

When Gohan got back to the Capsule Corp lawn, he discovered to his dismay that his parents were missing. Fortunately, Bulma had thought to lend Chi Chi a cell phone earlier just in case she needed to contact Goku again in an emergency. Before Chi Chi or Goku could even step foot in one of the steamy pools, Chi Chi's cell phone was buzzing like a beehive in a spring meadow.

Goku glanced around curiously for the source of the noise. "What the heck is that sound, Chi?" he asked.

Chi Chi dug into her purse. "It's just the cell phone that Bulma gave me. I wonder what they want." She snapped the device open and put it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"_We need Goku at Capsule Corp right now! We have an emergency! Where did you kids run off to now?"_ Dr. Briefs cried frantically.

Chi Chi toppled over and dropped the cell phone right into the hot spring. "Ouch!" she cried, rubbing her ears.

Goku ran over and kneeled down beside her. "Chi, what's wrong?" he inquired worriedly, helping her up from the ground. "You alright?"

"_What?"_ Chi Chi replied, much louder than necessary, as if her hearing had malfunctioned. She pointed to the cell phone at the bottom of the pool.

"Oh," Goku said, scratching his head. _Thankfully those things are designed to be waterproof_, he thought. He dove in, retrieved the phone, and put it up to his ear as he resurfaced. "Hello?"

"Goku! Is that you? We need you back at Capsule Corp immediately!" Dr. Briefs bellowed.

Goku ground his teeth and moved the device away from his sensitive ears. "Owiiieee!" he spouted. "Why is the volume is turned way up?" he asked his wife.

"_What?"_ Chi Chi shouted back, unable to hear.

Goku turned the volume down and put the phone back to his ear. "Calm down, Dr. Briefs! We'll be there in a second," Goku replied, quickly putting his clothes back on and handing Chi Chi her own clothes as well.

When they were both dressed again, Goku teleported them back to Capsule Corp.

When Dr. Briefs spotted the two of them, he ran up to the Earth Saiyan. "Goku, Bulma's ship has been attacked! We lost contact with her and Tarble. They could be in serious danger!"

"What? Really?" Goku shouted, alarmed. _Vegeta is not going to be happy about this…_ he thought. Chi Chi tweaked her ears, trying to understand what was going on.

"Yes!" Dr. Briefs retorted.

"Please, Mr. Goku, you've got to find Tarble! I'm begging you!" Gure cried, grabbing a hold of his gi pants.

Goku thought for a minute. "Alright. Hold on, guys." He got out the scouter Vegeta had given him and pressed the button to page the Prince. _Alright, 'Geta. This time I've got a real emergency so you better pick up!_ He placed the device on his ear to await the royal's response.

"Hey, that looks kind of like a scouter," Gohan uttered. "Where the heck did you get it from?"

"Vegeta gave it to me," Goku explained. "He was a lot friendlier the last time I talked to him." When they all blinked, clueless, Goku added, "It was the time I came home late. Remember? He gave this to me so he could contact me if he wanted to."

Yamcha, Krillin, and Gure's mouths all dropped open. _"Why didn't you tell us about that?"_ they all charged in unison.

Goku raised a brow and shrugged. "You didn't ask."

All three of them fell into a pile on the floor.

Goku looked confusedly at them and then went back to listening for Vegeta's response. _"Come on, Vegeta,"_ he urged below his breath.

…

Back on Planet Pellucid, Vegeta and Sapphire were regaling themselves in the King's winter palace at Copulah Ravine. They both leaned against the balustrade around the front veranda of the palace and observed all goings-on at the Moonstone Miners' Festival below.

Knowing Vegeta had a great many things weighing on his mind, a clever Sapphire had elected to loosen him up by introducing a peculiar Pellucian refreshment known as _Panache_. In Earth terms, if Absinthe and magic mushrooms had a love child, Panache would be said bastard offspring.

Vegeta took another sip from his goblet and roared with laughter at Sapphire's farcical remarks concerning the folksy dancing style of a few of the clumsier peasants in the town square below.

"No, seriously, Vegeta. I think someone ought to alert the town's physician. That man's condition looks serious," she jested, downing another pint or two of the boisterous beverage.

"You think that's bad?" Vegeta replied. "Try going to Earth." Suddenly, despite his intoxicated condition, the Prince felt something buzz against his chest. "What in the…?" he uttered, feeling around for the scouter device.

"What is it, Vegeta?" inquired the Princess. "You're starting to feel the chest tickles already? Maybe you should slow down," she suggested.

Vegeta rolled his eyes lightly. "Please, you've already drunk twice as much as I have," he retorted, pulling the device out of his armor and squinting at it.

"Maybe so, but I'm used to it. It doesn't affect me as much," she retorted.

"_Kami damn it, Kakarott," _Vegeta murmured to himself.

"Is someone trying to contact you?" she inquired, peering at the device.

"Yes," Vegeta replied, hiccupping. "But it's just that third-class Saiyan Kakarott. I told him not to contact me for a whole Pellucian week. It's like the baka thinks the universe revolves around him or something!" Vegeta snapped, crushing the device. "There. That ought to teach him. Abuse it and lose it, baka. That's what I always say," he said, tossing the broken pieces aside and taking another sip of his Panache.

The Princess hiccupped. "What's if it was something important, though?" she replied nonchalantly. "I mean… I doubt it. But it's possible," she said, shrugging.

"Knowing Kakarott," retorted Vegeta, "his woman's menstrual cycle would be sufficient reason to call me. He's not exactly the shiniest gem in the treasure trove, if you catch my drift."

Princess Sapphire chuckled. "Sounds like someone I'd like to meet."

Vegeta shrugged. "Sure, I'll introduce you sometime. Why not? If nothing else, you'll definitely find him amusing. To be honest, sometimes it's hard to tell whether he's an idiot or a genius. I know it sounds weird, but it's hard to explain."

Sapphire thought for a minute. "No, no. I knew someone like that once. I can't quite seem to recall his name just now. But I'll think of it. He was better amusement than the official court jester. It's too bad he was killed by Frieza several years ago."

Suddenly music began to blare from the ballroom inside. While the peasants had been celebrating for well over an hour, the palace affair had only just gotten started as it took some time for all the invited nobles to arrive.

"We should dance later," Sapphire said over the sound of the music.

"Sure. But let's wait until we sober up a bit. I don't want to go out there on the floor looking like a drunken monkey," Vegeta replied.

The Princess chuckled and nodded her agreement.

…...

"Gee, I wonder what's taking Vegeta so long," Goku wondered aloud, annoyed. _Come on, Vegeta. You said this thing was for emergencies and now we finally have one! Wake up!_ he thought angrily. He sighed in frustration.

"Goku, please, there's no time! They could be killing Tarble as we speak!" Gure cried, still in a panic.

"Why? Do you think it's those same bad guys you told me about before? I don't see how they could've caught up to him so quickly," Goku said. "Plus, weren't they just travelling in Saiyan pods? Those things aren't big enough to attack someone in mid-space." He paused. _"Are they?"_

"I don't know for sure," Gure replied. "I just have my suspicions. And I'm really worried, Goku! Anything could happen to them out there!"

"What did you say their names were again?" Goku asked. "The bad guys, I mean."

"Abo and Cado. They are terrible, Goku! They really want to hurt Tarble. Please, oh please, you've got to stop them!" she pled.

Chi Chi looked very concerned. "Oh dear…"

"Dr. Briefs, how do you propose I track these guys down?" Goku inquired. "Did you implant some kind of tracking device on the ship or something?"

Dr. Briefs nodded. "I did, but something seems to be blocking the signals. It must be some kind of alien force field or technology. I don't know. Can't you use your instant transmission trick to find Tarble's energy signal?"

Goku blinked. "But I never saw Tarble in person and I don't know what his energy signal feels like. Furthermore, it's extremely dangerous to try to teleport to a spaceship. If my aim is even a hair off, I could end up in the suction of outer space! I may be strong, but I don't think I can survive that type of environment!"

"That's no problem, Goku," replied Dr. Briefs. "I can fit you with a spacesuit that would allow you to get close enough to find your way there."

"Well, there's still the problem of finding the right energy signal with my mind, and I don't know what to look for because I've never met Tarble!" Goku exclaimed.

"What about Bulma? You've known my daughter since you were a boy! Can't you find her energy signal?" Dr. Briefs spouted.

Goku shook his head. "I'm afraid Bulma's Ki is too weak from such a great distance," he admitted.

"Maybe I can help," chimed Gure. "My race is known for psionic powers. If you guys can get me closer to where Tarble and Bulma were ambushed, I might be able to find Tarble or Bulma's psychic signals. If they haven't moved too far away, that is."

"Really?" replied Goku and Dr. Briefs in unison, hopeful.

She nodded.

"Okay, so where were they ambushed?" inquired Goku.

Dr. Briefs led everyone to a computer in his laboratory and looked through some files. "It says here the coordinates were 9300XY, in the Beta quadrant," Dr. Briefs explained.

Goku responded with a blank look on his face.

"It's about a third of the way between Earth and Pellucid," explained the doctor.

"Ah," replied Goku, still blank-faced.

"Do you have a spacesuit that would fit me, Dr. Briefs?" inquired Gure.

"Actually, yes," replied the doctor. "I designed one for a mischievous little pig named Oolong more than a decade ago. Let me see if I can go find it," he said, disappearing into a vast storage closet.

"Alright, guys," Goku said, speaking up. "It looks like we've got a shot at finding them, but I really ought to inform Vegeta that his brother is in trouble. He knows a lot about these enemies since he worked with them for most of his life. His help could prove to be critical in this endeavor."

"But, Dad! What makes you think he'll even be interested in helping?" inquired Gohan.

"I'm just hoping that he will," replied Goku. "It looks like I have no choice. Since Vegeta's not answering his scouter, I'm going to just have to go to Pellucid again without an invitation. I'll just have to hope to Kami nothing bad happens. I'll be back here as soon as possible."

Gure gulped audibly. "Be careful, Goku! We can't do this without you!"

"I will," Goku swore, looking determined. He put two fingers to his forehead and vanished in thin air.

…...

Goku materialized in an extravagant lounge in the winter palace. The entire interior was decorated with clear crystal, elegantly carved to resemble ice. Vegeta and a young violet-skinned woman were relaxing on two white velvet divans crowded with matching pillows. They were chatting in the local tongue, as usual. Two glasses with a bubbly rose-colored beverage stood half-emptied on the crystal clear table between them.

Goku ran over to Vegeta and pulled the royal forcefully up onto his feet. "Vegeta, why didn't you answer your scouter? We've got a serious emergency, and it concerns you!" charged the Earth Saiyan. He heard the Prince hiccup.

Vegeta looked up at Goku with confused eyes. "B-Bardock? What are you doing here? I thought you were dead!" exclaimed the intoxicated royal.

"Vegeta," said Princess Sapphire, obviously quite a bit more sober than her Saiyan companion, "that isn't Bardock. Bardock had a big scar on his face. Remember? I think you've had enough Panache." She grabbed both glasses and moved them away from Vegeta.

"Hey!" protested the Prince.

Goku looked at Sapphire. "What's wrong with him?" he exclaimed.

The Princess hiccupped. "Nothing," replied Sapphire. "He's just had a little too much to drink. You wouldn't happen to be the famous Kakarott, would you?" she inquired, standing up and steadying herself.

Goku nodded. "Yup, that's what Vegeta calls me."

Sapphire curtsied lightly. "How do you do? My name is Princess Sapphire. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said, extending her hand.

Goku was not sure what to do with the hand, so he just stared at it and scratched his head in confusion.

Sapphire chuckled and withdrew her hand. "I see you are not familiar with our customs. No matter. I'm sure Prince Vegeta will enlighten you sooner or later."

Vegeta almost tripped over his own cape and staggered a bit. He grabbed a hold of Goku's arm to steady himself. "Wh… what's this you were saying about an emergency, Gokurott?" he slurred, hiccupping. "Sorry, my fuzzy's a little mind right now." He rubbed his head with his free hand.

"Vegeta, you need to sober up right now! Your brother Tarble is in serious danger and I need your help!" Goku cried.

Vegeta hiccupped again. "My brother Tarb… what are you talking about? He's been dead for ages." He paused. "Hey, wait a minute… How did you know I had a brother named Tarble?"

"Because he's alive, Vegeta! And he came to Earth looking for you," Goku reported. The Earth Saiyan turned to Sapphire. "Please, Your Highness, this is serious! Vegeta's brother and a human friend of mine are in big trouble!"

Sapphire put up a hand. "Say no more." She shouted to one of the guards. "Carnelian! Order the servants to bring us two detoxifying pellets and some water, at once!"

"Yes, Princess," came the reply. Carnelian made his way through the highborn couples on the ballroom floor and fled down the hallway.

"Don't worry, Kakarott," said the Princess. "Here on Planet Pellucid we have a quick remedy for intoxication."

Goku put a hand behind his head in the typical fashion. "Whew, that's a relief!"

Vegeta almost fell backwards, but Goku caught him. "Steady now, 'Geta."

"Did… did you say that my brother is alive, Kakarott?" inquired the Saiyan royal in confusion. "I don't get it. How… that's not… that can't be possible."

"Yes, Vegeta. That's what he said," Sapphire confirmed. "Just hold on until the servants bring the pellets and this will all make a lot more sense to you, I'm sure."

Goku pushed Vegeta to sit down on the divan as the Prince started rubbing his confused head again.

"Ah," replied Goku. "So what's going on here anyway? You guys throwing a party or something?"

Sapphire nodded. "Yes, it is a special time of the year in these parts."

A male servant came in carrying a silver platter with two small white pills and two glasses of water on it. "Your Highnesses?" he said, getting their attention.

Sapphire quickly swallowed one pellet and Vegeta swallowed the other. "Alright," she said. "Lie down for a second, Vegeta." She laid down on her back on the divan and Vegeta did the same on his.

"Ugh," said Vegeta, crinkling his brows. "This makes me nauseous."

"I know. Same here. It'll only last for a few seconds," replied Sapphire. "Just breathe deeply and try not to spew."

Vegeta nodded and did as she suggested.

About half a minute later, both of their eyes popped open again. Vegeta sat up, this time fully sober. "Wow. That was one hell of a trip," he said, confounded.

Sapphire sat up too. "I know. That was pretty crazy," she said, rubbing her temple. "But that's nothing. Just wait until the lightshow. Nirvana can't even begin to describe the experience."

"Now I have to piss," Vegeta said.

"That would be the detoxification working," Sapphire explained. "Let's go."

"Be right back, Kakarott." Both royals disappeared down the hall within a few split seconds. Goku blinked in surprise. They reappeared a minute or two later.

"Kakarott, what's that you said about Tarble?" inquired Vegeta, running up to the taller Saiyan again. Sapphire skidded to a stop behind the Prince, just as interested as he was.

"He was in outer space in one of Dr. Briefs' Gravitron ships and it got hijacked. Come back to Earth with me and we'll explain everything! Hurry, we don't have much time!" Goku exclaimed.

Vegeta had a lot of questions, but before he could even think to ask, Goku grabbed a hold of his shoulder and teleported them both back to Planet Earth.

…...

An instant later, Vegeta and Goku materialized in the Capsule Corp laboratory. Dr. Briefs, Gure, Chi Chi, Gohan, Yamcha, Krillin, and Piccolo all jumped up in surprise at the new arrival.

"Wow, I forgot how weak the gravity is here," Vegeta noted, jumping up and down a bit.

"_You_," hissed Chi Chi, glaring daggers at the velvet-caped Prince. She charged at Vegeta, but Goku stepped in front of him and held her back. "No, Chi Chi!" snapped Goku. "Think of the baby!"

Vegeta looked confusedly at Chi Chi. He blinked, and then looked down at her swollen belly. His eyes popped wide open. "K-Kakarott? You… you are going to have another child?" he inquired, surprised.

Goku nodded.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks, 'Geta!"

"Listen here, you spike-haired little space pirate! You had better bring Trunks home or else!" Chi Chi spat.

A large bead of sweat formed on Goku's forehead. "S-sorry, Vegeta. She doesn't know what she's saying," he said, blushing with embarrassment.

"No worries, Kakarott. I know it's just the hormones talking. Now let's get down to business." The Prince swept his cape back regally and approached Dr. Briefs. "What is this business about my brother Tarble, old man?" he inquired, leering at the intimidated scientist.

A bead of sweat formed on Dr. Briefs' brow. "Well," he said, swallowing hard, "y-you see… Bulma and Tarble…"

"_Bulma?_ How is Bulma involved in this? Where is that wench, anyway?" inquired the royal, peering around the laboratory.

"I can explain!" announced Gure.

Vegeta jumped back in surprise at the two-foot-tall alien woman. "Who… who the hell are you?" he inquired, confused.

"My name is Gure," she said. "Tarble is my mate."

Vegeta jumped back again. "Mate?" he replied, incredulous. "You can't be serious."

"I am! Please, Brother Vegeta, you've got to help him! I'm afraid he may be in serious danger if our enemies have gotten ahold of him!" she cried.

Vegeta decided to put aside his skepticism for the time being. "What enemies are you referring to?" he inquired.

"Abo and Cado, they've been chasing us from planet to planet for years now!"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, remembering.

"You know them?" inquired Dr. Briefs.

Vegeta nodded. "Oh, I know them, alright."

Gure recounted the entire story to Vegeta from how Tarble was able to survive the destruction of Planet Vegeta up until the alien ambush on the Z Commando when they had lost contact. When she had finished, she broke down into tears. "So, p-please, Prince Vegeta. Won't you help us find him? I'm begging you!" she cried.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Why would Bulma bother to go to Pellucid? She doesn't actually think she has a snowball's chance in hell of finding my son, does she?"

Goku drew his brows together. "Vegeta, your little lovers' spat with Bulma is going to have to wait. We have bigger problems on our hands," he pointed out.

Vegeta tensed at Goku for calling Bulma his lover, but then forced himself to relax. He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "I suppose you're right, Kakarott."

"I was going to tell you, Vegeta. But there was no time!"

Vegeta snapped his head back. "No matter, Kakarott. I must relay everything you all just told me back to King Chrystla and Queen Bijou. We'll need their entire fleet to help us track down the ship that took my brother and Bulma. There's a good chance these aliens are the same space pirates that have been attacking the Pellucians' shipments of precious metals and kidnapping their women and children. If there's the remotest chance of catching them now, we must make every effort!"

The Prince paused. "But before I do that, we should test the plan you were discussing. Dr. Briefs, do you have any more space suits? If this Furutisian woman's abilities are what she says they are, we might have a chance of finding them within the next couple of hours. In situations like this, every second counts!" he exclaimed.

Dr. Briefs nodded and ran off to fetch more space suits.

"Hurry!" Vegeta called after him. He turned to Goku. "Now you need to focus, Kakarott. If you can get us to roughly the location that the ship was taken, then we might have a chance at finding them before it's too late."

Goku gave a solemn nod. He closed his eyes and began to search the stars with a focused mind.


	9. Run, Bulma, Run!

Chapter 9: Run, Bulma, Run!

Abo and Cado docked their ships in the main port of the _Oblivion_ and disembarked upon a small welcoming committee made up of the crew and captain.

"Quickly, turn the ship around and head for former Frieza Planet 392," instructed Cado. Captain Mareth gave the orders and most of the crew ran off to carry them out.

"Now where are the prisoners?" demanded Abo. "We've been waiting far too long for this."

"In the brig, my Lords. The male is indeed a Saiyan as you said. However, the female was not as you described. She does not appear to be a Furutisian," Mareth replied.

Cado raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Captain? What is she?"

Captain Mareth beckoned the two to follow him. "Come and see for yourselves." He led them down a long hallway and then down some stairs into a dark, eerie part of the ship below that was mainly used for storage.

Suddenly a shrill female voice screeched, giving all of their eardrums a painful beating. "Ew! What is that? Kill it, Tarble! Kill it!" cried the terrified female.

Abo and Cado's eyes shot open in surprise. "What the…" Cado murmured.

"That's the woman. She looks kind of like a Saiyan, but without a tail. We're not sure what her species is or where she is from exactly," Captain Mareth admitted.

"Gross! It's looking at me!" came the voice again, followed by a feminine shriek.

Abo narrowed his eyes. "She could be from Earth," he suggested.

His brother scoffed. "Yeah. Well. Whatever she is, she's a total loudmouth," Cado said. "I'm surprised the crew hasn't gagged her."

Captain Mareth snapped a finger. "Now why didn't I think of that?"

They all had a good chuckle at the captain's joke. Mareth lead Abo and Cado to the cell containing the two prisoners. All three of them peered lecherously at the captives.

Bulma screamed at the top of her lungs as she caught sight of them, whereas Tarble turned blue in the face and backed himself into the far recess of the cell with his tail between his legs.

Abo snickered evilly in response to Tarble's delightful fearfulness. Cado, on the other hand, had his eyes on an entirely different prize. He leered at the young woman with shoulder-length, aqua hair.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? I think this little gal could fetch quite the price on the slave market, don't you think, brother?" he muttered to Abo in their native language. "Then again, why not just keep her for ourselves? After all, good work is so hard to find these days."

Fortunately for her, Bulma did not speak the alien tongue and just stared at them in confusion. "What are you two big, ugly gumballs talking yammering on ab…" she began in a rage, only to be silenced by Tarble's hand over her mouth.

Unlike the Earthling, Tarble understood every word and he gritted his teeth in determination. He pulled Bulma back. "Leave her out of this! It's me you wanted. Why do you have to bring her into it?" he snarled, only to receive malicious chuckles in reply.

Abo grinned as he leaned into the bars, intimidating the much smaller hostages. "That will depend upon your cooperation, monkey boy," he said, laughing some more.

Tarble swallowed audibly. "C-cooperation?" he repeated, nervous. "I see."

Just as Abo was about to say something else, Bulma shrieked again as another small scaly pest with a long tail and glowing green eyes ran across her feet.

Captain Mareth rolled his eyes at her girly squeamishness. "Those are just the black dreks, woman. Pay them no mind. They're hard as wolrot to get rid of, but they are harmless."

Cado glanced at Captain Mareth. "Gag the female and move her to my personal suite. We need to speak to the Saiyan alone."

Bulma's face went blue. "What? No way! I'm not going to your suite. Yuck! Stay away from me you big, red boil!" she spat.

Tarble's brows fell dangerously and he pulled Bulma behind him. "You will not touch her! She has done nothing to you and ought to be set free," he bravely asserted, though he knew it would be pointless.

The captain raised an arm and pointed his hand squarely at Tarble.

"No!" cried the Saiyan as his body went stiff. He grunted and hissed, but could not move so much as a pinky finger.

Captain Mareth smiled and, with a tilt of his head, signaled to his first mate to go in and fetch the girl.

"What are you doing to him?" Bulma demanded. "Tarble, snap out of it! He's not even touching you," she said, trying to shake him.

Cado laughed at her distress.

"Come on, Tarble! You've got to protect me!" she cried, her face going blue again as she heard the door to their jail cell creak open.

Captain Mareth's hideous first mate, a bat-like creature with fangs, red eyes, but no wings entered the cell and approached her.

Bulma started throwing anything she could find at him, primarily rocks or pieces of metal that had dislodged from the numerous storage crates. "Stay away from me, you overgrown rat!" she shouted.

"Ack!" the first mate cried in surprise, before slapping away the pieces of shrapnel. "Come here, you little hellcat!" he demanded, grabbing a hold of her wrist.

She slapped him across the face with her free hand, but accidentally cut herself on one of his protruding fangs. He simply licked the blood off his face and unceremoniously hauled her over his shoulder. "Careful, Lord Cado," he said humorously. "It seems you have chosen a rather feisty one."

Cado's only response was a lecherous grin.

The first mate shut the cell door behind them and Captain Mareth released his hold on Tarble. The Saiyan Prince promptly ran up to the bars and slammed his body against them furiously. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her! You hear me? Harm her and you're dead!" he shouted, punching and kicking futilely at the reinforced bars.

"If I was you, I'd be a little more concerned about my own skin, monkey," Cado snapped back.

Suddenly the ship began to shake like an earthquake had hit and red lights began to blare on and off in the state of emergency.

Abo, Cado, and Captain Mareth were all caught completely off guard and tumbled to the ground simultaneously along with the first mate. Bulma landed in a heap on top of him and the others, while Tarble was thrown hard against the bars of the cell.

A feminine computer voice could be heard repeatedly chanting, "Alert! Alert! Ship has entered a hidden asteroid field! Alert! Alert!"

"Run, Bulma! Get out!" Tarble cried, seeing her chance.

Thinking quickly, Bulma rolled off of the miscreants and darted away through piles of crates and other storage items that had fallen into the aisles.

Captain Mareth glared at his first mate. "Sin, you fool! She's getting away! Catch her, quickly!" he ordered.

Sin stood up and stumbled after her as the red lights continued to blare in warning. Another boom was heard and several small meteors shot like bullets through the hull of the ship. Three of them raced just inches in front of Abo and Cado's horrified faces.

"Your hull isn't strong enough to withstand asteroids?" Abo charged in outrage.

Mareth reddenly slightly. "My Lords, the masking system requires a soft hull to work. We're built for ambushing merchant ships, not navigating asteroid belts," he explained, putting a hand behind his head. "But rest assured, I have enough piloting experience to get us through this."

A panicked voice came through Mareth's scouter. "Captain! We're hemorrhaging our air supply and there are still more space rocks coming at us! We need you at the helm this instant!"

"Calm down, Rage. Send the repair crew to find and patch the holes. I'll be up there in a few seconds," Mareth shouted back into the scouter. He turned to Abo and Cado briefly. "I'm sorry, my Lords. Duty calls." He disappeared up the staircase to the upper levels of the starship.

Another flaming space rock flew right past Bulma's face causing her to skid to a halt and yelp in surprise. _Kami, that would've killed me!_ she thought in panic, glancing over her shoulder.

Sin appeared to be perusing the storage crates, looking for her. Fortunately for Bulma, he had not heard her yelp over the sound of the blaring sirens. She quickly ducked below one of the crates when he peered over in her direction and started crawling away, unseen. She rounded a corner, hoping it would lead back to Tarble's cell. With any luck, the cell would be left unguarded in the commotion.

Directly above her on the main level, Captain Mareth was busy at the helm steering the ship out of the path of numerous giant asteroids. He spotted a break in the asteroid field and made for it.

"Captain, because of that first hit, we lost one of our hyperspace drive engines. It's slowing us down," explained the co-pilot.

"A little busy right now, Rage. And don't think I haven't noticed," Mareth replied as the ship rumbled again. "Are the holes in our hull being patched?"

"The repair crew is down below as we speak. I haven't heard word from them yet, though," Rage admitted.

Bulma almost squealed when three aliens ran right past her. She ducked in between two crates. To her relief, they appeared to be too busy to bother with her. Out of curiosity, she spied on them. They ran up to a wall and skidded to a stop, quickly patching a hole in the hull of the ship that was sucking out the oxygen with their supply kits.

Bulma's breath hitched in her throat as she realized how thin the atmosphere had become. She breathed deeply and tried to calm herself so her body would require less oxygen. _Hurry_, she mentally urged the repair crew.

She figured she had better move before they finished the job and possibly came back to get her. She rose shakily to her feet and jogged back towards the brig. But when she got there, the cell was empty. Tarble was nowhere in sight.

…

Back on Earth, Vegeta, Goku, and Gure were all suited up. Dr. Briefs had fitted all the spacesuits with transmission devices so that communication back and forth between members of the search party and Capsule Corp would be easy.

"I think I've got an approximate location," Goku said, his eyes closed in concentration. "Although I'm not sensing any power levels. But it may just be the distance. It's difficult to say."

"Take us there, Kakarott," Vegeta affirmed, taking a hold of the taller man's shoulder.

Suddenly Dr. Briefs cried, "Wait!"

Vegeta rounded angrily on his elder. "Do you want us to save your daughter or not, old man?" he charged, brandishing a fist impatiently.

Dr. Briefs cowered away from the angry Saiyan and stuttered a response. "B-but I haven't attached your oxygen supply yet. You don't want to asphyxiate within a few seconds of reaching your destination, now d-do you?"

Vegeta's eyes widened and he lowered his fist in acquiescence. "Fine, old man. But hurry it up!" he snapped, turning his back so Dr. Briefs could attach the oxygenation unit to his suit.

Dr. Briefs lifted up the backpack-like device and connected the tubes and circuits up with Vegeta's spacesuit. "Now, these are the newest models of self-contained breathing equipment I've designed. The carbon dioxide converter is so advanced that it can supply you with air indefinitely. Until the battery runs out, that is."

All Vegeta said was "Hmph," but Goku and Gure seemed a lot more intrigued.

"Neat-O!" Goku said, admiring the device. "Dr. Briefs, you _are_ a genius!"

"Thank you, my boy," Dr. Briefs said, attaching Goku's unit next. "The battery itself can last a few days, but the surface of these spacesuits are fitted with solar power cells that can recharge the battery if you get close enough to a yellow star like our sun. These indicators on the wrist tell you how close to empty the battery is, the quality of the air you're breathing, and whether there are any leaks in the spacesuit." He attached Gure's unit last and then stood in front of them. "Any questions?"

"No!" Vegeta snapped. "Now let's go!" He grabbed a hold of Goku's shoulder again.

"Oh, one more thing!" Dr. Briefs spouted, causing Vegeta to groan in annoyance again. The scientist grabbed a hold of a tube protruding from Goku's breathing pack. "These extra tubes here are in case you need to share an air supply in the off-chance someone's unit malfunctions. They attach like so," he said, demonstrating by attaching Goku's suit to Gure's. "Now try not to get separated and have a safe trip!"

Vegeta turned an eyebrow upward. "You mean to tell me, old man, that there's a chance that this nutty contraption of yours might fail on us?" he hissed.

"That is, unfortunately, the case with everything we know as 'technology,' my boy," replied the good doctor, puffing his pipe.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Are we _finally_ ready to go then?"

Dr. Briefs gave a nod of approval.

"Bye, Dr. Briefs," Goku said, waving goodbye. "Thanks for all your help!"

Dr. Briefs saluted the happy-go-lucky Saiyan. "Godspeed, Goku."

Goku, Vegeta, and Gure disappeared in thin air. They reappeared in a vast emptiness. The two Saiyans glanced all around to assess the place.

"Well, Kakarott, it looks like you've literally IT'ed us into the middle of nowhere," Vegeta declared grumpily. "Not a star or planet for eons."

"No!" Gure cried. "I believe Dr. Briefs' spacecraft crossed through here before being ambushed. I can detect a dying trail of psychic signals from both Tarble and Bulma." She paused. "They were talking about a child? Hm. I don't understand. Tarble was feeling fear, though Bulma was not." She opened her eyes. "I don't think you've taken us far enough yet, Goku."

Vegeta considered her words. "Perhaps a little closer to Pellucid then, Kakarott?"

Goku nodded as they both placed their hands on him again. They disappeared and reappeared in a new location, not much different. "Sense anything, Gure?" Goku inquired.

Gure narrowed her eyes and concentrated.

"Let her focus, Kakarott," Vegeta said in a low voice, observing the Furutisian calmly.

Goku nodded.

After a few minutes, Gure's eyes popped open and she looked frustrated. "I think you might have taken us a bit too far, Goku. I can't detect a thing."

"Great job, then, Kakarott," Vegeta snapped sarcastically.

"Hey! Cut me a break, Vegeta. I'm trying to track two kidnapped people blindly in outer space here. It's not an exact science, meanie!" Goku retorted. "Now put your hands on me again, I'll get us a little closer to our last location."

They did as he instructed, but their luck was not much better. Goku had to teleport them more than thirty times before Gure was able to pick up on a trail again.

"Oh dear, I'm afraid the signals here are only slightly stronger than the first place we checked," she said, groaning in frustration. "And all this honing in is starting to give me a headache," she grumbled.

"Aw, hey! I think you're doing great, Gure. And I can help you with the headache thing once we get back to Earth. We can take a break if you'd like," Goku suggested.

"No! My Tarble is out here somewhere and I won't rest until we find him!" Gure decreed.

While Gure and Goku were distracted with their conversation, Vegeta was staring off into the distance. Goku suddenly noticed this and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "You okay, 'Geta? Do you sense something?"

"Look out, woman!" Vegeta blurted without warning. He blasted a tiny flaming asteroid into nothing just a millisecond before it would have reached Gure's helmet. From the speed it was going, there was no doubt from anyone it would have killed the Furutisian instantly had it made impact.

Gure shrieked in fear and hid behind Goku.

"Look, you fools, we are right on the edge of a dangerous, fast-moving asteroid field," Vegeta said, pointing.

Gure nodded and gulped. "I think it's safe to say they probably were not ambushed anywhere along here. No pilot in his or her right mind would drive their ship anywhere near this."

Vegeta scoffed, causing them both to turn and look at him. "Perhaps, but I highly doubt Bulma was in her right mind. And knowing Frieza's former forces, there's nothing they won't risk to get what they want," he said, turning away from them and crossing his arms.

Gure blinked. "What do you mean, Prince Vegeta?" she squeaked, slightly tearful.

"That's not Bulma's fault, Vegeta!" came Dr. Briefs' defensive voice over the transmitter. "You did take her son, after all."

"_What?"_ cried Gure, unable to believe what she had just heard. "Who took who's _what_?"

"If you knew she was unstable, then you never should've let her leave Earth in one of your spaceships, old man," the Prince retorted calmly.

Dr. Briefs groaned. "We both know that girl has a mind of her own," grumbled the aged scientist.

"Hmph. Well, if I was her father, I would not have been afraid to put my foot down!" Vegeta snapped.

"Guys, guys! This is no time to argue," Goku declared, the ever-dedicated mediator. "We've got to put our differences aside and keep up the search."

Vegeta grinned. "Agreed, Kakarott. And that is precisely why you, Dr. Briefs, need to _butt out_. You've already done your part, thank you very much," spat the Saiyan royal.

Dr. Briefs could be heard clapping his hand over his face through the transmitter.

"Now, Kakarott. You and Gure need to stick together as we explore the perimeter of this asteroid field. Your job is to protect her from flying debris as she searches for those psychic signals. As for myself, I'm going this way to try and detect any power levels. If we find nothing, then we'll meet back up in an hour or two. Got it?" the Prince announced decisively.

Goku nodded, somewhat taken aback by Vegeta's take-charge attitude. "Sure thing, Vegeta. Sounds like a plan."

Vegeta flew off into the distance and disappeared in a twinkle of light.

Goku took hold of Gure's hand and lead her off in the opposite direction. Gure began to focus her psychic energy again throughout their flight, but soon Goku had grown bored of the awkward silence between them. "So what's this Tarble guy like?" he inquired out of the blue, breaking Gure out of her mental trance.

Gure jumped slightly in surprise. "Oh, my Tarble? He's wonderful. It's too bad you weren't there when we first arrived on Earth, Goku. We probably could've avoided this whole awful situation," she replied, lamenting.

Goku frowned. "I'm sorry about that. I guess we just weren't expecting any visitors. Things on Earth have been pretty peaceful for a few years now," he admitted, adding, "_with the exception of the whole baby situation_," under his breath.

Clearly he had not said it low enough, because Vegeta had heard. "Kakarott, Gure, will you two please put a sock in it? I can still hear you through my transmitter and you'd better not start talking about me when you think my back is turned," harrumphed the Saiyan royal.

"Oh… Gee, I didn't mean to, Vegeta," Goku replied apologetically. "But you know I don't judge you anymore."

"That's beside the point," snapped the Prince. "This topic of conversation is not appropriate while we're searching for missing persons."

"But I do want to know, Prince Vegeta," Gure replied. "Please tell me!"

"You'll get all the details later when we have Tarble back in our possession. Now please do your job and look for those psychic signals. You might be our only hope in finding anything," decreed the Prince.

A look of determination overtook Gure's little face and she nodded solemnly. "Yes, Your Highness."

Though the others could not see, Vegeta's lips curved upwards into a smirk at the Furutisian's reverence. "Good. I'm turning off the transmitter now so we won't distract each other. If you need me to turn it back on, then just page me with the purple button on your helmets," he said. "Good bye for now." The Prince promptly turned off his transmitter with a bleep and welcomed in the vast silence of outer space.

The peacefulness did not last long, however, because soon a tiny flaming asteroid sped by Vegeta's face undetected. Vegeta realized he was about to fly into an asteroid storm and immediately powered up to the level of Super Saiyan to prepare himself for the onslaught.

Many miles away, Goku glanced over his shoulder when he felt Vegeta's energy rise sharply.

"What is it, Goku?" inquired Gure.

"Vegeta just powered up for some reason," Goku explained, raising an eyebrow. "Hm."

"Oh, no! Is he in trouble? Does he need our help?" Gure inquired, then she suddenly gasped. "Hey! Maybe he's found something!"

Goku shook his head. "I'm sure he'd turn his transmitter back on if something had gone wrong. He probably just entered the asteroid field or something. I think he'd let us know if he was in trouble," said the Earth Saiyan.

"Are you sure? Maybe we should go back just in case. I'm not finding anything out here anyhow," Gure replied, focusing her mind once again just to double-check.

"I don't know, Gure. I think we ought to do what Vegeta told us to. He did seem to have a plan after all," Goku suggested. _And I doubt he'll be happy if we ignore his orders,_ he thought.

Gure groaned. "But Goku, there is nothing here. I don't think a spaceship has been through this part of space in at least a century!" she proclaimed. The Furutisian stopped to think for a minute. "Hm. Maybe the ship really did go into the asteroid field," she said, thinking out loud. "It's the only thing that makes any sense for the trail just disappearing like that."

Goku looked nervous. "Perhaps that's true, but I don't think I should take you in there. If Vegeta hadn't been so alert before, that little rock would've killed you in the blink of an eye!" he pointed out.

Gure pulled Goku's arm backwards, forcing them both to come to a halt. He glanced back at her. "Now see here, _mister_," she said in an authoritative voice, wagging her finger at him. "If by going into that asteroid field, I stand even the slightest chance of ever seeing my beloved again, then that's what we're doing! Understand?" she ordained, pulling him towards her until their space helmets nearly clacked against each other.

Goku gulped and then gave a nervous nod. "Alright, Gure. But stay by me at all times. If a rock so much as scratches either of our suits, I've got to IT us back to Earth pronto," he said.

Gure nodded her understanding.

…

Princess Sapphire raced back to the main palace as fast as her Ki could carry her. Even the guards following her seemed to be slightly out of breath from the exertion. _So much for our royal retreat,_ she thought to herself. Sapphire could not be all glum, however, because this new development with Vegeta's alleged long lost brother intrigued her.

As she approached Eclat City, she realized the palace guards' scouters must have sensed her approach, as there was a giant welcoming committee awaiting her arrival on the front steps of Eclat Palace. She grinned. _Good. They know something is up. With any luck, Father will already have been briefed on the situation._

Sapphire touched down in front of the hundreds of guards on the grand palace steps. "Your Highness," greeted the captain of the guards, Welry, "what brings you back from your retreat so early? And where is Prince Vegeta?"

Princess Sapphire felt a bit irked about having to explain everything, but she shrugged it off. "We may have an emergency on our hands, Welry. Where are my mother and father?" she inquired bluntly.

"King Chrystla is in the throne room and Queen Bijou is meeting with some diplomats from the planet Atmo. What is so important, if I may ask, Princess?" Welry inquired.

"Prince Vegeta was teleported off Pellucid by the tailless Saiyan from Earth known as Kakarott," she said, pulling no punches.

All the guards within hearing range were taken aback by the news and gasped loudly. _"R-really?"_ cried the shocked captain. "Oh my, this _is_ important. I will tell the King right away!" he announced, turning toward the palace entrance without hesitation.

Princess Sapphire clapped a hand down on Welry's shoulder to stop him.

He peered over his shoulder, a bead of sweat dripping down his lilac temple. "Y-Your Highness?"

"It's not what you think, Welry. In fact, it could be far more serious. Kakarott told Prince Vegeta that his brother, Prince Tarble, was still alive. He told him this right before whisking him away, presumably to Planet Earth," Sapphire explained.

Captain Welry's eyes widened in disbelief. "Im-impossible… How could that be, Highness? I thought Prince Vegeta was the only surviving member of the Saiyan royal family."

"As did we all," said the Princess, grinning. "But that may not be the case after all. Please, we must see my father at once to tell him all the details."

Welry nodded. "I will see to it that you get an audience with His Majesty as soon as possible, Princess."

"Excellent. I'll be waiting by the Court Hall entrance," Sapphire said. She walked through one of the side entrances to the palace, followed by her roughly six personal body guards, and eagerly awaiting her chance to speak with King Chrystla in person.

…

Bulma shivered in the thin, cold atmosphere of the ship's cellar. To her relief, the emergency lights had stopped blaring, although the ship kept rumbling now and again with turbulence from the asteroid storm outside. Fortunately for the lives of everyone on board, it seemed that the captain of the ship was a competent pilot and was effectively steering the _Oblivion_ out of harm's way.

Despite her shallow breathing, Bulma tried to deduce where Tarble might have been taken. The trick would be to track him down without getting caught herself. She examined the empty cell and saw that the door had been left ajar. _Could he have escaped?_ she wondered, hopefully.

There was a great deal of dust all over the cellar floor from just how messy the place was. _Does anybody sweep down here ever?_ Bulma wondered. Judging from the imprints in the dust near the jail cell's door, it appeared that there had been a struggle—a brief one. The big ugly gumball aliens had clearly overpowered Tarble and dragged him off somewhere. Bulma pushed some crates and debris out of the way and discovered the route Abo and Cado had taken likely not but a few minutes earlier.

"There you are!" came a harsh voice from about twenty paces behind Bulma. The young Earth woman jumped around in shock and fell against the external bars of the cell she had earlier been imprisoned in. Her face went blue with fear and she began to tremble and stutter.

Observing this, Sin's demeanor turned very cocky indeed. "Ha ha, little one. You were clever in evading me for this long, but I managed to follow your scent nonetheless. Your active female hormones could give up your location from miles away, sweetheart," he said, approaching her slowly to intimidate her as much as possible.

Bulma tried to run, but skidded on the gravel, fell down, and skinned a knee through her sleek black leggings. "Ouch!" she cried, holding the injured joint tenderly. "You big brute, look what you made me do," she snapped angrily. "Why don't you just pick on someone your own size? I bet it makes you feel like such a big, powerful man picking on a helpless woman, doesn't it, ugly?"

"Shut your trap, doll-face," he snapped back. "Don't you get it, girl? You can run, but you can't hide from me. No matter where you go, I'll always be able to sniff you out."

Bulma quirked a brow. "Sniff me out, huh?" she repeated, as a light bulb illuminated in her brilliant brain. She narrowed her eyes slightly and discretely lowered one of her hands to the floor next to her bottom.

"That's right. This nose of mine has no equal on the whole ship," he said, taking an exemplary whiff of the thin cellar air. He sneezed, but continued to approach her. Eventually, he was only a few paces away.

"Well, gee. I guess I'd better give up then. I clearly don't stand a chance against such superior olfaction to my own," she ribbed, subtly grabbing a fistful of the dust and grime on the cellar floor.

The first mate's eyes gleamed. "My, oh my, a woman that can see reason? You are a rare breed, no doubt. It's too bad someone outranking myself has already laid claim to you." He shrugged. "Oh, well. Now, if you'll just come quietly and not give me any more trouble, I'd greatly appreciate it," he said. He extended a gloved hand to grab her by the upper arm and then he gracefully pulled her to her feet.

Bulma looked up at the first mate with big, blue eyes and smiled innocently, causing him to lower his guard. Suddenly she forcefully shoved a face-full of grime and sand into his eyes and nostrils, being careful to avoid contact with his fangs again. "Get a whiff of this, ratface!" she spat, tripping him over a crate and then sprinting off after the tracks left by Abo and Cado. As she ran, Bulma was surprised by her own speed and strength, which she figured must have been on account of Tarble's training.

A furious Sin coughed and sputtered as his prey escaped his clutches. He tried desperately to wipe the grime out of his face, but only succeeded in rubbing it into his eyes more. He snarled in anger. "I'll get you for this, wench! You will feel my wrath soon enough!" he shrieked after her.

"Smell ya later, bozo!" she shouted over her shoulder, flipping the first mate off as well. Not that he would be able to see it with all the dirt in his eyes, but it was still a satisfying thing to do.

Bulma rounded a corner in pursuit of the telling footprints, but ran smack into a wall. _Oh, no! A dead end!_ she thought, glancing back over her shoulder nervously. "Hm. Where could they have gone?" she wondered aloud, backing up slightly. Then she saw the lines along the wall. In fact, it was not a wall at all, but an automatic doorway of some kind. It was not even very well concealed.

_But how to get it open_… she pondered, placing a finger on her lower lip in thought. "Well, there's always the cliché approach," she said. "Open Sesame!" she announced loudly. Bulma waited, but nothing happened.

Bulma stomped a foot in frustration. _Darn it, I really hoped that one would work._ She crossed her arms in frustration. Peering downwards and to the left of the door itself, she spotted a rectangular lid covering something on the wall. She figured it must be an electrical circuit. Perhaps it controlled the automatic door in front of her. Sighing, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her swiss army toolkit. "Guess I'm going to have to do this the hard way," she said, snapping off the lid. She went to work fiddling with the circuits.

As she tinkered with the system, Bulma began to hum a tune that she had not heard in awhile. She seemed pleased with her own progress until she heard footsteps coming in her direction.

"I think she went this way," came the gravelly voice of Sin, rougher than usual from the coughing fit she had caused him only minutes ago.

A blue hue crept onto Bulma's face. Without thinking, she dove behind a storage crate as the first mate came onto the scene accompanied by two huge space thugs who looked like they had come from some swamp planet.

All three of them screeched to a halt as they rounded on the automatic doorway that Bulma had been trying to open. The first mate's two henchmen peered around looking for clues, causing Bulma to duck low behind her crate to avoid detection. She had just enough of a glance to identify them as two members of the repair crew that had passed her earlier.

With their emergency uniforms removed, their hideousness was fully revealed. After they had patched the hull, the first mate must have recruited them to help with the search to hunt down the escaped prisoner. _Oh well, at least we can all breathe now_, thought Bulma.

"Look!" said the thug on the right, pointing at the open electrical circuit and the lid carelessly discarded on the dusty floor.

"Hm," Sin said, picking up the lid and snapping it back into place. "She must have rewired the door to open. Follow me, boys." He stood back from the automatic door and announced the words, "Open Sunflower!" The door glided open with ease and all three of the men disappeared through the entrance.

Behind the crate, Bulma snapped her fingers. _Wrong seed,_ she thought. _Oh well. When opportunity knocks…_ She slid stealthily through the open door after the aliens, but realized she had gone a little too slow when the door closed behind her and gave her butt a little pinch.

She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a squeak of surprise and quickly backed into a dark corner where she hoped not to be noticed, rubbing her behind with her other hand. To her relief, her three pursuers were running away from her down a long hallway.

"I don't get it, boss. Why would a girl willingly go to Captain Mareth's torture wing, especially when the back door to the escape pods is just the next door over?" inquired one of the bat alien's cronies.

Sin shrugged. "Well, you and I both know women aren't too smart, especially her. The pretty ones never have any brains," he laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, boss," echoed the idiot's voice as all three of them disappeared around a corner, laughing at their own sexist joke.

Bulma seethed. "No brains, huh? Well I just outsmarted you nitwits, didn't I?" she mumbled angrily to herself. Suddenly realization hit her and every inch of skin on her body turned a distinct blue. Her teeth chattered and her limbs trembled. _"D-did that guy just say this place is the t-t-torture wing?"_ she sputtered, backing up towards the door she had just come through. "I've got to get out of here and find that other door to the escape pods they were talking about!" she said, turning around. "Open Sunflower!" The door glided open on cue.

Bulma almost crossed the threshold but then stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh, no! But what about Tarble?" She bit her nails practically down to the nub trying to decide what to do. _My goodness, what a moral dilemma…_ she thought. _But then again, even if I find Tarble, I doubt I'll be able to help him. I'm just a woman! Nobody would blame me for saving myself…_ she thought, inching toward the open door again. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to come to a decision. Suddenly an unidentified scream erupted from the dark depths of the torture wing, knocking Bulma off her feet in shock.

"Darn it, Tarble!" she finally declared. "This is the first and last time I'll ever stick my neck out for you, so you better be grateful, Saiyan!" She jogged softly down the hall after the first mate and his henchmen, trying to avoid making too much noise with her footsteps.

…

Goku and Gure flew into the fast-moving asteroid belt carefully, dodging flaming space rocks left and right.

Goku chose to take a less aggressive approach to the asteroid problem than Vegeta did. With Gure securely in his arms, he hopped from asteroid to asteroid, gliding gracefully back and forth as if engaging in some elegant form of space ballet.

"Sense anything yet, Gure?" Goku asked, dodging a few tiny bullet rocks here and there.

"No, Goku. You've got to fly much further in," she instructed.

"But the further into the storm we go, the more dangerous it is! See," he said, pointing ahead of them," the largest, fastest rocks are ahead of us, and they're more densely packed than at the outer rims!"

"I know it's dangerous, Goku. But please, do it for Tarble!" Gure begged.

"Well, alright, but I won't be able to dodge anymore. I'll have to make my own path by blasting the asteroids apart with my Ki," Goku explained.

"Then do it!"

"Fine," Goku replied. Flying into the densest part of the storm, Goku powered up and started firing Ki blasts at the largest of the asteroids heading toward them. Every now and again he had to IT Gure and himself out of harm's way as the giant rocks crumbled into large, and still-dangerous fragments of their former selves.

"Go that way!" instructed Gure.

The Earth Saiyan nodded and pulled the Furutisian woman delicately through the narrow path he kept continuously making in the asteroid belt. Finally, they reached a calm pocket in the storm, allowing the both of them about thirty seconds of rest.

Suddenly a bleeping sound was heard in both of their helmets and Vegeta's voice could be heard loud and clear through the transmitters. "Kakarott, Gure, get over here at once! I have found something!" announced the proud Prince.

Goku could not believe his ears. "Really, Vegeta? What is it?" he asked in disbelief.

"Teleport to my location and I'll show you, baka. I'll flare my energy to help you find me," announced the royal.

Vegeta powered up so that Goku could easily sense his Ki despite the countless miles and asteroids between them.

"Alright, Gure. Let's go," Goku said. He put two fingers to his helmet and they both vanished and reappeared behind Vegeta.

Goku and Gure peered around and noticed what Vegeta was proudly standing on. It was big enough to be an asteroid, but by no means rocky enough. It appeared to be a giant, shiny, black part of a spaceship. Looking at one side of it, they could see that it was badly damaged.

"What is it, Vegeta?" asked Goku.

"A hyperspace jet, of course," replied the royal. Vegeta started walking on the surface of it, causing the orientation of the thing to rotate until some sleek script appeared in shiny silver paint.

Goku and Gure examined the script with confusion written on their faces. They looked up at Vegeta in curiosity.

"It's written in Frieza's mother tongue, you dolts. It says _The Dark Oblivion_. This piece of technology here was part of a starship that used to belong to Frieza," Vegeta explained. "At the time, it was a spy ship. My guess is that it has since been repurposed as a pirating ship for attacking merchant vessels."

Gure's eyes popped open and she pulled away from Goku to examine Vegeta's discovery. She placed a hand on the shiny metallic surface and closed her eyes in concentration. Goku watched her in curiosity. Suddenly Gure gasped and jumped back, causing Goku to jump slightly as well in surprise.

"What is it, Gure?" Goku inquired.

"This is it!" she cried. "Tarble and Bulma were on this ship before this piece was knocked loose. I can feel it. The signals are fresh and strong. And they were terrified, Goku. Absolutely terrified!"

"Oh, no!" Goku said. "Do you think the ship might have been destroyed by the asteroids?"

"No," Gure replied. "Tarble is alive. I know it. I don't know how, but I know that he lives."

"Great!" Vegeta announced. "Now all we need to do is find this ship, and we'll find Tarble and the Earth woman."

"But where will we find the ship, Vegeta? It could be long gone by now. Do you know which way it went?" Goku asked, hopefully.

Vegeta shook his head. "I don't know where it headed after picking up Bulma and Tarble's ship, but I do know one important thing."

"What?" Goku and Gure inquired in unison.

"I know where the _Oblivion_ makes port," replied the Prince, with a smirk.


	10. Trouble for Tarble

Chapter 10: Trouble for Tarble

Tarble grunted at Cado's rough treatment and tried to use his other senses to gather any information he could about his surroundings. When the brothers had taken him from his jail cell, they had gagged and blindfolded him. He felt someone tear the gag off his mouth.

"Alright, monkey. Before we begin, we're going to give you one last chance to tell us everything you know. You are well aware of what we're capable of, so don't think for even a second that you can withhold even the tiniest detail," Abo threatened as his brother Cado secured the Saiyan Prince's Ki-depleting shackles to the wall of the dimly-lit room.

"That's right, runt," Cado chimed. "And you don't have your woman to save your sorry tail this time, so you had better cooperate and do as you're told," he warned.

"It's like I told you guys last time, I don't know anything about a treasure. Every material possession my people had was destroyed when Frieza attacked Planet Vegeta," Tarble snapped back.

"Still playing the ignorance game, are we? I think you can recall how rapidly we grew weary of that charade back on Furutsu. In fact, had you just told us what we wanted to know to begin with, we might have been willing to spare the Furutisian people their righteous fate," Cado construed, tugging sharply at the chain around Tarble's neck.

The Saiyan Prince gagged as his air supply was abruptly cut short. His eyes widened in horror. When Cado finally released the chain, Tarble felt the burn of hatred rise up in his Saiyan blood. He glared at them, partly in disbelief. "Wh… What did you do to them? How could you? The Furutisians were peaceful. They never harmed anybody!" he screamed.

Cado yawned in disinterest while Abo retorted, "Precisely, ape! They were loathsome bleeding-heart weaklings, a waste of space on such a valuable planet as Furutsu. Boy did that pretty little mudball garner a commendable price on the auction market, though."

Cado grinned evilly. "Indeed. We recently heard through the grapevine that the Mudslippers are very pleased with their new home world," he added spitefully, leaning back and casually pouring himself half a glass of some foul-smelling beverage. He took a sip and finished with a refreshed, _"Ah."_

Tarble squeezed his eyes closed. "N-no. I can't believe it. I won't! You're lying!" he shrieked. "You're lying just to upset me. You can't fool me!"

Both brothers burst into laughter. "Believe it, monkey. We called in our special troops to purge the planet after you fled like a coward. They had very few difficulties overcoming the Furutisians' meek defenses. All those weaklings are capable of is a few measly mind tricks, after all!" Abo laughed.

Tarble gritted his teeth and turned away. Denial was the only defense he had against unthinkable reality. He refused to believe what they were saying. The Furutisians were fine. They had to be. They were a people who had willingly adopted an orphaned Saiyan child and accepted him as one of their own.

The thought of them meeting such a grisly fate made Tarble lose faith in life. He could not live with himself if he thought the Furutisians had been punished on account of him. The guilt would simply be unbearable.

…...

Bulma peered around another corner in caution before venturing further. The place did not meet her expectations for a "Torture Wing." There was no filth. No skulls or discarded bones. No implements designed to tear and carve into flesh. In fact, the place looked pristine.

"Man, that cellar was more of a _Torture Wing_ than this. This place looks more like the wing of a hospital," she said to herself as she crept quietly down the long hall. She held both of her sneakers in one hand so she could tiptoe around in her socks silently.

She made the trip down the seemingly mile-long hallway, checking every room along the way. Each one was deserted and held no clues regarding the true horror of the place. At the end of the hallway, Bulma turned another corner and came face-to-face with yet another endless corridor, practically identical to the first.

"Great!" she cried in frustration. "This place is an enormous labyrinth. How am I ever going to find Tarble and still find my way back to the exit? I mean I've always had a photographic memory, but this is ridiculous!"

Bulma gritted her teeth in frustration and kept walking. "Now where could those ugly jerks have gone? If I'm not careful, they might just find me first, and then I would really be done for!" she thought fearfully, trembling a bit at the disquieting thought.

The Earth woman swallowed. "It's no problem, Bulma girl. All you have to do is use your superior intellect to stay one step ahead of those creeps. Stop underestimating yourself. Those guys are so clueless that they make Vegeta look like Albert Einstein. And that is saying quite a lot, now isn't it?" she declared, reassuring herself as best she could.

Eventually Bulma reached a section with another hallway crisscrossing the one she was already on. There were three directions to choose from—she could go left, right, or straight ahead.

"Hm. I wonder which way I should go," she thought aloud, glancing from one hallway to the next, and then back the way she had come. "Geez… Everything looks the same no matter where I go. How did Abo and Cado navigate through here without getting lost? There has to be a way to do it. And I'm going to figure out what it is!" she declared, more determined than ever.

"Alright, I'll go this way," she decided, heading down the hallway to the left. Suddenly a blood-curdling scream erupted from somewhere not too far down that very same corridor, startling Bulma so much that she fell flat on her face on the hard, metal floor. What sounded like some low, evil chuckling was all that followed after the ear-splitting shriek. Bulma glanced up from the floor with a big sore red spot in the middle of her forehead and a face blue as ice crystals.

"Oh, m-my," she whispered to herself. "Well, that doesn't sound like Tarble at least. Poor wretch." She swallowed hard and, trembling, pushed herself up from the floor. "Better not go that way after all," she said, gathering up her shoes again and deciding to head in the exact opposite direction.

Bulma walked until her feet ached. Without the cushioning of her shoes, the floor was very hard indeed on her poor tender soles. But she was still afraid of making too much noise to put her squeaky sneakers back on.

As she neared the end of the hall, she recognized what looked like a dead end. Her jaw dropped about six full inches. "You have got to be kidding me! I came all the way down here for this?" she cried in fury, bewailing the injustice of it all. She dropped to her knees and tears welled up in her big, blue eyes. "I'm so sorry, Tarble. I'm never going to find you in this nightmarish maze. I might as well go back, find an escape pod, and get the heck out of here before it's too late," she lamented.

Hanging her head in defeat, Bulma turned around and dragged her aching feet back in the other direction. She nearly slipped on the floor when a tremendous rumbling sound erupted from somewhere behind her. Her heart stopped and her breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned around to come face-to-face with… absolutely nothing. The hallway was still empty all the way to the dead end wall.

_It must be coming from one of the rooms_, she thought to herself. Another, softer sound followed. Bulma raised an eyebrow. _That… sounded almost like breathing._ She put a hand to her ear and listened carefully before deciding that the strange noises were coming from one of the rooms on the left side of the corridor.

"What could that possibly be?" she whispered, flattening her body against the left wall of the corridor in a stealthy manner. She slowly crab-walked toward the open threshold. Nearing the suspicious room, Bulma peered gingerly around the corner, careful to remain silent and out of sight.

What she saw inside made her face turn whiter than a ghost's. _Oh my. More bad guys!_ she thought. On the right side of the room was a table piled carelessly with what appeared to be various drugs and medical items. There was one alien about the size of Zarbon leaning back in a chair that looked ready to tip over. He had one big gold-tipped boot extended up onto the table and was snoring loudly.

Getting a closer look, Bulma glimpsed another alien of an entirely different race snoozing in another chair behind the bigger alien. He was short and stocky, only slightly larger in size than Fortune Teller Baba. She discovered that the small alien was the one making the soft breathing noises.

Bulma could not make out much of what either individual looked like because they were dressed head to toe in Saiyan uniforms, complete with gloves and full-body jumpsuits. Both also wore helmets with the visors drawn over their faces. The only patch of uncovered flesh was the big alien's neck, which was black as soot and scaly in texture. The last thing Bulma wanted to see was whatever else might lie beneath those uniforms. The mere thought made her queasy.

Suddenly something on the big alien's lap fell to the floor and shattered loudly. Bulma tensed and jumped backwards out of sight, expecting them both to immediately rouse from the noise. When she heard nothing but more snoring, she peeked into the room again and assessed the damage. It appeared to be an empty bottle of booze, now reduced to fragments. The two space pirates were completely intoxicated, she realized.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea popped into Bulma's head. It was so brilliant, in fact, that she immediately considered that it might be one of, if not the most brilliant, of all the ideas she had ever had in her life. The young Earth woman chuckled low in her throat as she crept past the threshold into the room, being careful to step over broken glass, discarded animal bones, and used medical supplies.

As soon as Bulma was all the way inside, she was finally able to see what the far left side of the room had been concealing. She gasped in horror and dropped her sneakers to the ground. "Oh. My. God," she uttered. At last, the young genius had discovered the secret behind these mysterious chambers. It appeared that the rooms were empty when not in use, but each had a wall that dropped down to reveal a vast closet of the most horrendous torture devices imaginable.

Bulma could not believe her eyes and immediately had to do a double take. As she stared at the open closet in horror, her attention was suddenly diverted by something wet soaking into her white cotton socks. Her gaze dropped down as she stepped out of the purple puddle collecting on the ground. It was right in the middle of the room and appeared to have no obvious source. "What the heck?" she whispered, eyes darting around looking for clues. Just then she heard a drip and glanced upwards.

What she saw above her hanging from the ceiling just then, she knew would haunt her for the rest of her days. A Namek with four missing limbs and a spike that looked like it had been thrust up into the mouth and all the way through the back of the skull was dangling from the ceiling by fish hooks pierced through the shoulders. The man was deader than lead.

Bulma fell backwards and felt bile rising in her throat. She puked on the floor next to her repeatedly. With tears in her eyes, she could not bring herself to look at the sight again. It was too appalling. She knew now that no matter what happened, she would have to find Tarble. She could not live with herself if she left the poor Prince to this kind of fate.

With a new air of determination, she pulled herself shakily up from the floor and turned burning eyes to the two napping perpetrators. She could only guess that the booze had been used to celebrate the successful breaking of yet another hapless victim. They had thought they deserved a reward for such a crime. _Monsters!_

Bulma kicked off the sock soaked with the Namekian's blood. She returned to the table that the heartless murderers were seated at and perused the selection of drugs available. Without a word, she loaded two large syringes with the strongest tranquilizer she could find and injected both creeps simultaneously.

To her immense relief, neither one stirred. She waited a few seconds for the drugs to take effect and then grabbed the smaller alien first, stripping him of his armor and jumpsuit down to the skivvies. He was an ugly green little toad-like thing, but Bulma did not care anymore. After seeing what they had done, nothing could faze her now.

She stripped herself down to her undergarments and used her stretchy leggings to bind her breasts and rear end flat against her body. She pulled on the alien's expandable navy blue jumpsuit, followed by the gold-tipped boots and white gloves. Finally, she wriggled the stretchy armor over her head until it fit snugly around her torso.

"Last, but not least," she said to herself, "I'm going to need a helmet to hide my gorgeous face. The little guy's is too small, but the big guy's just might fit." She pulled off the bigger alien's helmet and stuck out her tongue at just how ugly he really was. The creature was like a living charbroiled skeleton under the visor. "Ugh, no wonder you were wearing this, bud. I don't think even a mother could love a face like that," she said, trying on the helmet.

With the visor up, she peered around the room and saw an automatic door in the back of the torture closet. "All right, let's see what else we have to work with here," she said, sauntering over to it and pressing the open button. She glanced inside and raised an eyebrow. "A bathroom? Well, that's good. I needed to pee anyway," she said, happily taking the opportunity to relieve herself. When she had finished, she stood up and examined herself in the full-length mirror.

"Hm," she said. "Not bad. But something is missing…" She looked herself up and down, and then down and up again. Then she snapped a finger. "I know!" She gathered a big wad of toilet paper and stuffed her crotch with it. "There, I look like a man. Now I just need to test out my man-voice." She cleared her throat and said "Aye-aye, sir," in the deepest voice she could muster. _Not the best I've ever heard, but I think I can at least pass as a young man_, she thought.

Bulma strode out of the bathroom. "Now to deal with the two perpetrators of this awful crime," she said, glaring daggers at the alien pirates. With a great deal of difficulty, she stripped the Zarbon-sized alien of his Saiyan armor as well. She found some Ki-resistent shackles and cuffed both brutes to the back wall of the closet. After a lot more searching through the horrible items the room contained, she found what looked like an incinerator built into one of the side walls of the closet. _Must be for corpse disposal, _Bulma thought. She turned it on and incinerated the alien's clothes, as well as her discarded shirt, socks, and sneakers.

"Sorry, duds. You looked great but I can't leave any clues behind, now can I?" she said as her Earthly garments burned up to nothing but ash. She incinerated one of the scouters, but kept the other one and programmed it to display numbers in her own language. She also reset the device so that it could not be traced back to the puny pirate she had taken it from.

Lastly, and most importantly, in her search of the room, she had discovered what it was that allowed the space pirates to navigate the vast expanse of the Torture Wing with such ease. There were two small bubble cars, much like the one Frieza had been known for riding in. On the "dashboard," a small computer screen generated a map of the entire labyrinth.

"Well, well, well," she said, "isn't this handy? Now let's see. How do you drive this this little gadg…" She pressed a button and the device zoomed forward and crashed into the wall. "Oomph!" Bulma uttered. She sat back and put a hand to her helmet. "Good thing I was wearing this," she murmured woozily.

She steadied herself and stood up, brushing herself off. "Alright. I think I've got it now. This is the accelerator, and this little joystick is the steering." Before long, Bulma had the vehicle out in the hall and speeding back up the same corridor she had previously come down.

…...

After documenting the findings with a series of photographs, Vegeta demanded that Goku transport himself and Gure straight to Planet Pellucid. To be discrete, Goku teleported the three of them directly to Vegeta's personal suite in the palace. The trio kicked off their spacesuits and followed Vegeta, who rushed right into the hall.

When they caught up with the Prince, Goku and Gure found Vegeta speaking to two guards in Pelluci in a very serious tone. When he was done, he turned back to them. "The King is in the throne room speaking to his daughter Princess Sapphire. We must go there at once!" declared the royal.

Vegeta, Goku, Gure, and the two guards raced down the Royal Hall until they reached the Grand Foyer—the internal entrance to the throne room. Just as they arrived, the King burst through the huge double doors, followed by his daughter and legion of guards. He stumbled to a halt just a few paces in front of Vegeta's party. Princess Sapphire's eyes beamed with recognition immediately when she caught sight of the Prince.

"King Chrystla?" Vegeta uttered, surprised.

"Prince Vegeta? You're alright! My daughter has told me everything she knows. I was a little afraid that Kakarott might have kidnapped you. It's a relief to see you are on the same team instead. That is the case, is it not?" inquired the King, speaking in Goku's language.

Vegeta quickly nodded, earning a sigh of relief from the King. "Kakarott is the one who informed me about my brother. It seems that Tarble and one of Kakarott's friends have been kidnapped by Frieza's former troops. They are aboard a starship known as _The_ _Dark Oblivion._ I have a strong suspicion that this is the pirating ship responsible for the thefts and kidnappings aboard Pellucian vessels, Sire," Vegeta explained.

"Really?" Chrystla replied, gasping in shock. "But how can you be sure?"

"I'm not," Vegeta replied, "but I know where the _Oblivion_ calls home base. If we find it, it just might lead us to your missing people and property. I also know that the starship lost a jet in an asteroid field within the last few hours. If we hurry, we might be able to beat it to former Frieza planet 392. We'll never be able to spot it in outer space, so we'll have to plan for an ambush on the ground."

The King turned to the captain of the guards. "Ready the fleet, Welry!" he commanded. He turned back to Vegeta. "Prince Vegeta, you are the strongest warrior I know. Will you do me the honor of commanding my army into battle?" Chrystla beseeched.

Vegeta's eyes popped open in astonishment. "Yes, of course," he finally replied. "I will, but…"

"Yes?" Chrystla replied. "But what?"

Vegeta shot a glance at Goku. "Can I have Kakarott as my Second-in-Command? None of this would have been possible without him," the Prince explained, gesturing to the other Saiyan. "And his own strength does rival mine, ignoring his lack of a tail, of course."

Chrystla shrugged. "I suppose it's alright, if he's willing to do the job."

Vegeta locked eyes with Goku. "Will you, Kakarott? Please, I need someone reliable. And I know you won't fall in battle against those weaklings," he said.

Goku blushed. "G-gee, Vegeta. I've never helped command an army before," he muttered bashfully, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry, Kakarott. You just follow my example. I know you can do it," Vegeta replied, encouragingly.

Suddenly Chrystla noticed the small Furutisian woman standing to Goku's left, completely dwarfed by the Saiyan's towering frame. "And who is this little lady?" he inquired politely, flashing her a grin. Gure giggled.

Vegeta glanced down. "Her? Oh, her name is Gure. She's my… sister-in-law," he admitted, flushing slightly. "She is mated to my brother, Tarble."

"She is, huh? Miss Gure, would you like to stay with my mate and daughter? I'm sure they would love the company while us men are away," the King offered.

Gure smiled at Chrystla, but before she could answer Princess Sapphire protested. "But Father, I want to go with you! I could be of great help on former Frieza planet 392. I swear!"

"_Absolutely not, Sapphire_," the King snapped. "It's far too dangerous for a princess. I command you to stay here with your mother. It is your royal duty to help her look after the planet whilst the bulk of the guards and I are away. You know that as well as I do!" he scolded in a firm voice.

"But…" she began, only to be silenced with a wave of his kingly hand.

"I'll hear no more of this, daughter. Take this lovely young woman to one of the deluxe suites. She is Prince Vegeta's sister-in-law and that makes her a very honored guest on Pellucid. I trust you to see to it that all her wants and needs are met until the moment I return," Chrystla bade, dismissing her.

Princess Sapphire hung her head slightly. "Yes, Father," she reluctantly replied. "Come, Miss Gure, I'll show you to some lodgings. Would you prefer a view of the ocean or of Eclat City?" she inquired, beckoning the Furutisian down the Royal Hall.

"Oh, either one sounds lovely," replied Gure. The tiny Furutisian woman happily skipped off after the Princess, chattering away like mad. Before they disappeared around a corner, Vegeta thought he had spotted a smile on Sapphire's face. He smirked. It would be good if the two females got on well.

Suddenly the King interrupted the Saiyan royal's thoughts. "Let us board the mothership and get settled in while the fleet is gathering. Come along, Prince Vegeta, Kakarott," Chrystla beckoned, leading them into the throne room and then out the main palace gates.

…...

Abo chuckled. "It's so good to know your customers are satisfied with your work, isn't it, brother? Makes the job all the more rewarding," he flouted shamelessly.

Tarble's breath hitched in his throat. "You bastards. So you killed them all? Every last one?" he cried in disbelief. "But… but _why_?"

Abo and Cado both faked a gasp, feigning offense at the accusation. "Heavens, no!" replied Cado. "Don't be ridiculous, you primitive ape. That would be a complete waste of free, backbreaking labor. No, no, no! You have us all wrong, boy. We kept the most docile Furutisians alive, of course. We sold the women off for many a handsome price and sent the men to mining camps on the Furutisian moon," he explained, shaking his head at Tarble's foolishness.

Abo chuckled. "Do you have any idea about the sheer size of the priceless senzite deposits on the moon there? Somebody has to dig all of that white gold out of the surface and melt it down into pearl sensine for us before we can sell it," he added.

Tarble squeezed his eyes closed in grief and swallowed hard, before trying to muster yet another question through gritted teeth. "And… what… what of the children?" he murmured, forcing his voice to remain steady.

Cado feigned a sad sigh. "Alas, my dear Prince," he began, with a shrug. "Most of the young ones were useless and had to be disposed of. Not all of them, but most. They just don't grow up fast enough to be profitable in the slave trade."

Tarble's entire body went numb. He started shaking.

"Uh, oh, brother," Abo teased, snickering. "I think that vein on the monkey boy's forehead might be about to burst. It would be a pity if he bled out before we even have the chance to end him for ourselves."

"Cruel bastards!" Tarble howled, thrashing furiously against the chains. "You killed them? How could you? They were just children! Murderers! You will pay for what you have done!" he snarled.

Cado backhanded the Saiyan hard enough to send him hurling into the wall, almost knocking him unconscious. He sneered at Tarble. "You're in no position for revenge, ape. This is your last chance. Tell us about your father's treasure or pain will soon become your only friend," he warned.

Tarble heard some shuffling and realized his enemies must be readying the first method of torment. Not knowing exactly what was coming was even worse than knowing he would be tortured. He shifted his head painfully and blinked his eyes, trying to dislodge the blindfold and get a glimpse of his surroundings. It was futile, as the leather-like eye mask had been well secured by his captors.

"I already told you two. I don't know anything!" Tarble murmured helplessly, squirming in apprehension. He heard footsteps approaching him.

Cado scoffed, and tugged hard on the chain around Tarble's neck. The Saiyan could feel the villain's foul breath on his face and his whole body tensed when he felt Cado pull back, as if about to strike him again.

"Then perhaps _this_ will jog your mem…" Cado began, but was abruptly cut off as the first mate and his two lackeys appeared unexpectedly in the doorway. He dropped the Saiyan and raised an eyebrow at the unforeseen visitors, whose faces all turned bright red when they realized whose presence they were in.

"You?" Abo muttered, looking at the first mate. "What are you doing here?" he asked, gazing questioningly at the flabbergasted men. Sin was speechless for a moment, mortified that he had stumbled upon the wrong party. _"Well?"_ Abo demanded, more sharply.

Sin flinched at the harsh tone, as did the two aliens with him. He gulped before trying to muster a response. "M-my Lords? Oh dear, pardon our intrusion…" he stuttered out, his face turning from red to blue at Abo's icy glare.

Cado rolled his eyes at his brother. "Calm down, Abo," he said. "This man is just doing his duty and coming to inform us that he's caught the female and left her in my cabin, as per my orders. Isn't that right, son?" he said, giving the first mate a quick wink.

Sin and his cohorts stared back at Cado for a second, trying to process what he had said. Suddenly, they all simultaneously placed a hand behind their heads and gave the man big, nervous grins. "Wh-why, yes. Of course, Lord Cado. She's all gagged and hog-tied like you ordered, in your personal suite. Nothing to worry about here, my Lords. Now g-go back to what you were doing and feel free to take your time. Everything has been taken care of. Hasn't it, boys?" he lied, shooting a warning glance over each shoulder for support.

His accomplices both nodded much more dramatically than necessary. "Y-yes. Of course, boss," they affirmed in unison.

Cado grinned. "Well, that is good to hear."

Sin laughed nervously and wiped away a big drop of sweat from his brow. "N-now if you please, my Lords, we have many other important duties to attend to…"

"Of course," conceded Abo. "You are dismissed. But don't interrupt us again," he warned.

Sin swallowed hard. "W-wouldn't dream of it, Lord Abo. Well, we'll just be going then. Come along, boys."

"Good…" Cado began, but the trio had darted off like bullets before he could finish, "…bye." He looked at his brother and shrugged. "Guess Captain Mareth runs a pretty tight ship," he said with a shrug. Abo rolled his eyes.

…

"Step on it, men! We've got to find her quick before they finish with that Saiyan," Sin cried in a panic, driving his bubble car through the corridor at breakneck speed.

"Y-yes, boss," replied Bebo nervously as they drove.

"Any power level readings from the rooms along here?" Sin inquired, glancing over his shoulder at his companions. They both shook their heads.

"Are you sure it wasn't a mistake tellin' a lie back there, boss? What's if Lord Cado takes a break and goes to his cabin and finds out we weren't telling the truth?" Bedo asked.

"Then we're done for, you nitwit! Lords Abo and Cado are not known for their mercy any more than Captain Mareth is," Sin snapped, severely distressed.

Bebo and Bedo's faces simultaneously turned blue. "W-well maybe we should've just told the truth then, boss," Bedo stuttered.

"Don't be stupid," Sin promptly retorted. "They would've annihilated us on the spot if we had done that! Honesty doesn't win you any points aboard the _Oblivion_."

Bebo thought for a minute. "I have some friends up above that could maybe help us look for the girl, boss. They won't tell no one because they both owe me a big favor," he chimed.

Sin shot a glare at Bebo over his shoulder. _"Why didn't you say so in the first place?"_ he spat angrily. "Get them down here, on the double!"

"Yes, boss." Bebo pressed the call button on his scouter. "Calling Bile and Retch. Come in Bile and Retch. I need you guys' help with something."

"This is Bile," came a voice. "Retch is off-duty and sleeping. What do you need, Bebo?"

"I'll tell you when you meet me in the cellar," Bebo replied. "Hurry, it's important. Wake Retch up and bring him with you."

Bebo heard Bile sigh. "Fine, we'll be there in ten minutes," grumbled the man on the other end of the line.

"Boss, you and Bedo keep looking for the girl. I'm going to meet up with my pals and we'll do a search of the West Wing," Bebo reported.

"Thank you for that, Bebo," Sin replied, sounding relieved. "I owe you one for this. Drinks are on me tonight if you find her before we do. See you in a few."

Bebo saluted Sin and sped his bubble car off down a different corridor.

…...

Back on Pellucid, Goku, Vegeta, Chrystla, and a small legion of the King's guards arrived at the mothership. When Goku first laid eyes on it, he had to do a double take. He could scarcely believe the sheer size and majesty of what he was seeing.

The Pellucian mothership was big enough to carry a medium-sized city. Goku rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Not even Frieza's ship back on Planet Namek could compare. There were dozens of maintenance crews cleaning the surface of the ship and preparing it for use.

Vegeta quickly took notice of Goku's astonishment. "What you are looking at is known as _Queen Bijou's Justice_, Kakarott. She is the mother of all warships," he explained.

"Wow…" was all the Earth Saiyan could muster in response. "It's… it's _huge_, Vegeta."

"Indeed. She can fly almost as fast as a Saiyan space pod once she gains momentum, which is remarkable given her mass. And the King's aerospace engineers might be at the cusp of a technological breakthrough that could make her even faster than a Saiyan pod," the Prince continued, smirking. "If they succeed, they will put the Briefs' pathetic little Gravitron invention to shame."

"Amazing…"

They touched down on the ground just as the maintenance crews were finishing up. A hatch big enough to load an army dropped down in welcome, allowing the King and others to board the ship.

Two servants showed Vegeta and Goku to their respective suites. As Vegeta was settling into his room, reading, he heard a knock on the door. "Enter!" he called. The automatic door glided open and Goku appeared in the threshold.

"Kakarott?" Vegeta uttered. "What is it? What do you need?"

"Hey, 'Geta," Goku greeted, entering the Prince's suite. "I was just wondering if I could go get the other Z fighters from Earth before we leave. It won't take long. I could use my instant transmission."

Vegeta quirked an eyebrow upwards at the proposal.

"They're strong fighters, Vegeta," Goku explained. "They could help us. And I'm sure they'll be willing to help on account of Bulma. Can I bring them, Vegeta? Can I, can I?" he begged.

Vegeta thought for a minute. While he certainly was not fond of the other Earthlings, putting them on the frontline could certainly help to reduce Pellucian casualties. In Vegeta's mind, that was certainly a desirable objective. "I guess so, Kakarott. But either you'll have to be willing to share your suite with them or they will need to stay in the soldiers' quarters. Also, you must ask King Chrystla for permission to bring them aboard. This is his warship after all."

Goku gave Vegeta a big smile. "Oh, I already asked him. He said yes. I just didn't want to make you mad by going behind your back. Thanks, Vegeta!"

Vegeta's eyes popped open in surprise. "Right... Well, you'll want to hurry it up because the King's army is already boarding the ship. It won't be long before we're ready for takeoff and I don't want them to accidentally leave without you. In fact, come directly here when you're back so I know that there will be no need to stall the ship's launch."

Goku nodded. "No problem. I'll be back in a jiff!" With that, the Z fighter put two fingers to his forehead and disappeared in thin air.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the spot Goku had just vanished from and shook his head. "That baka is _way_ too cheerful. We're about to go to war, for fuck's sake," he complained, going back to his reading.

…

Bulma discovered from the map on the bubble car's dashboard that Captain Mareth's Torture Wing actually did have a certain degree of logic behind its design. While the map did not indicate which rooms were occupied (which would have been useful), she was able to figure out how to check each room on the map in the quickest and most efficient manner possible.

Her strategy was to check the North Wing first, which she had done. Thanks to the speed of the bubble car, it had taken about half an hour. She moved on to the West Wing and hoped for better luck. It was to her good fortune that the rooms were always left open, presumably because Captain Mareth wanted everyone within earshot to hear the screams emanating from them. Keeping a sharp eye, she snuck a glance into each room as she zoomed by.

As Bulma sped along the sleek corridors, she tried to push the memories away of what she had seen so she could focus on the task of finding Tarble. It was very difficult. In the back of her mind, she began to preplan the blueprints for a memory eraser device, as her current task was so thoughtless and mind numbing.

In her distracted state, Bulma did not notice the three red dots approaching her red dot on the map from one of the corridors up ahead. Before she knew it, she had to slam on the breaks as she nearly collided with three other bubble cars that suddenly turned the corner and headed straight at her. The other three drivers did the same.

As there were no seat belts, everybody fell out of their vehicles and landed on their rears. Bulma rubbed her butt as she stood up. _Woah… what just happened?..._ she wondered, dizzily.

"Retch, what's the deal? You were supposed to be watching the monitor! We could have crashed!" Bebo chided, giving the other man a quick pop on the back of his helmet.

"I was? Oh right, I forgot," Retch replied, standing up. "Sorry about that."

Bulma recognized Retch as a very tall reptilian alien. She backed away slightly as he rose to his full height, about eight feet tall. She also recognized Bebo from before, but she had not seen the third alien. He was entirely unfamiliar.

"What's your name, soldier?" Bebo demanded.

Bulma suddenly realized that Bebo was talking to her and her heart started to pound. _N-name? That's right, I need to think of a man name… oh, let's see… _She immediately straightened up and saluted him, as she had seen the others do before. "Catastrophe, sir," she began, accidentally in her normal voice. She realized her mistake and cleared her throat. "Ahem, pardon me. My name is Catastrophe, sir. Please forgive my negligence. I'm a new recruit," she explained, in her deeper man-voice.

Bebo raised his visor. Bulma prayed he would not ask her to do the same. "Catastrophe, eh?" he said, rubbing his chin. "I like it. You staying in the soldiers' quarters, Catastrophe? I haven't seen you around before."

"I quite literally just arrived, sir. The captain requested an engineer from base. I was in the vicinity, so they sent me," she replied, hiding her nervousness surprisingly well.

"Ah, makes sense. I suppose you're here to fix the damage from the asteroid field we stumbled onto?" Bebo suggested.

Bulma nodded. "That's right."

"Excellent, excellent. I'll let you get back to your duties, soldier. I'm glad we met. Hope to see you around," Bebo said, getting back in his bubble car.

Bulma did the same. "Same to you."

"Wait, Catastrophe," chimed the third alien, the one that Bulma did not recognize. "I think I'm having a problem with my bubble car. It keeps making a funny noise. Do you think you could take a look at it for me real quick?" he inquired.

Bulma's eyes popped open in surprise. She was glad the helmets had visors so they could not see how much she was sweating underneath. To her benefit, the jumpsuits also had an impressive ability to absorb perspiration and keep the wearer comfortable. "C-certainly," she said, stepping down from her bubble car. "That should be no trouble at all."

The alien grabbed her hand and shook it, nearly breaking the bones. She bit back a cry of pain. "The name's Bile. Here, let me show you where the problem is," he said, pulling her over to his bubble car.

…

Tarble felt a harsh hand slap him across the face, whipping his head to the side. Someone grabbed him roughly by the hair and tore off his blindfold. Though one of his eyes was already swollen shut, the other could still see quite well. "Alright, ape. I want you to see everything we're going to do to you. Perhaps if you get a nice visual, you can be convinced that withholding information from us just isn't worth it," Cado snarled, sneering at the helpless prisoner.

Tarble spat out a loose tooth. "You guys are wasting your time," he rasped. "I don't have any information, or items that would be of any value to you. If you want to find a treasure, you should explore some other route. Perhaps see a fortune-teller. I honestly can't help you."

Cado glanced at Abo over his shoulder. "He needs more convincing," chimed the blue brother, giving a nod.

Cado turned his head back to Tarble, grinning widely. "You are a determined one, ape. I'll give you that. To be honest, I somewhat admire your bravado. Too bad," he lamented. "Perhaps in another lifetime we could have been partners. Oh well. No sense in pondering upon _what ifs_ now is there?"

Cado stood up straight, turned on a heel, and walked right into the torture closet. "Now, let's see. What can I use in here? Ah, found it!" He walked back out carrying a razor-sharp blade.

Tarble felt his heart stop and his face went blue.

A loud bout of laughter erupted from Abo's corner of the room. "Ah ha ha ha ha! I thought you Saiyans were supposed to be fearless. You're not afraid of a little butter knife, now are you, Prince? Where's your Saiyan pride? Or do you even have any?" ribbed the amused spectator, sitting back in his seat.

Bulma's previous words flashed in Tarble's mind. _"You're a Saiyan prince, for Pete's sake. Where's your damn pride?" _She had chided him for being afraid of angering his own brother on her behalf. Tarble's jaw tightened slightly.

He gritted his teeth and thought to himself. _What is pride anyway? If I'm happy with my life, then why do I need it? _He paused. _Well… I _was_ happy. Before these two creeps showed up on Furutsu. Gure and I could've lived the dream life. Why did it have to end so soon?_ he lamented, feeling a tear prick at the back of his swollen eye. He forced it back and lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Aw, I think we hurt his feelings, brother," Abo cruelly teased.

"Speak for yourself," Cado retorted, chuckling. "I'm just his physical tormenter."

Abo huffed. "Yeah, well. When is it going to be my turn?" he complained. "You're taking it way too slow with him anyway. If I'd gotten to start this time, he'd be screaming for mercy by now. If we keep moving at this snail's pace, he might break sometime next century," Abo chided, crossing his arms over his chest.

Cado rolled his eyes and sighed. "I already told you, brother. I'm conducting an _experiment_ here to test Saiyan endurance. If we jack it up too fast, then we'll miss the important points of change in his distress level. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Who cares about Saiyan endurance? The apes are almost extinct. With any luck, they'll be completely gone within the next century. Come on, Cado. This is starting to bore me," Abo whined.

Cado slapped his forehead in annoyance. "I _promise_ things are about to heat up if you would just hold your horses, Abo," he replied. He walked over to Tarble and grabbed a hold of the neck of his jumpsuit. They had already removed his protective Saiyan armor before shackling him in place to allow for a more effective beating.

Expecting pain, Tarble clenched his eyes shut and tensed his whole body. But instead of the stabbing or cutting into flesh he was expecting, Cado simply cut down the front of his jumpsuit all the way to his waist. He cut up the sleeves too and then tore the entire top off.

Abo rolled his eyes. "Great. What are you going to do now, brother? Tickle him till he croaks?" he inquired, yawning with boredom.

Cado threw the jumpsuit pieces in the incinerator and rubbed his temples. "Abo, if you bear with me, I promise I'll have him screaming in the next couple of minutes," he snapped back.

Cado returned his evil gaze to the hapless Saiyan and pulled a three-tailed Archovian whip out of his belt. _"You feeling lucky now, punk?"_ he hissed, approaching a very fearful Tarble.

"Kinky," Abo remarked, chuckling.

A bead of sweat trickled down Tarble's forehead and Cado grabbed him by the throat. "I didn't think so. Now if you don't want to feel more pain than you ever thought physically possible, I would recommend you spill the beans, Saiyan," he spat.

Tarble squeezed his eyes shut, pleading, "I would if I could, but I don't have what you want. I wish I did, but I don't. I swear it!"

Cado scoffed. "If you don't tell us the truth, Saiyan, then this is only the beginning. Your death will be slow and painful, if we even allow you to die at all. It will drag on for days, weeks even. If that's what it takes to get a little bit of information out of you, then so be it!" he declared, extending the whip and reeling back for the first blow.

…

Goku teleported Krillin, Yamcha, Piccolo, and Gohan to Pellucid. Piccolo was convinced to go on account of nothing interesting happening on Earth for a while. He was bored and needed to get off the planet. Because Piccolo had decided to go, Gohan had wanted to tag along as well. Goku and Gohan had known better than to try and ask Chi Chi for permission because neither of them had any doubt that she would say no to Gohan leaving. So they had snuck off. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, they had collectively decided.

Krillin and Yamcha were happy to come too, on account of Bulma. Of course, Goku had yet to reveal to his friends the details of how the venture would go. So when they all materialized on Pellucid in front of the biggest spaceship any of them had ever seen, Goku was compelled to explain the full extent of Vegeta and King Chrystla's involvement.

"Vegeta says you guys have to stay in the soldiers' quarters. I don't know what they're like because I haven't seen them, though. I'd let you all stay in my room, but there's only one big bed. So there's only enough room for Gohan and me, unless someone doesn't mind sleeping on the couch or floor," Goku construed.

Piccolo scoffed. "Let me remind you, Goku, that I don't _require_ sleep. This won't be a problem for me at all. I would like to know how long the trip is supposed to be, though. From what you've told us, it could be anywhere from a few hours, to a few years," grumbled the Namekian.

Goku blinked. "Oh, right. Of course, I forgot to tell you. We're going to a place called 'former Frieza planet 392.' It's a week away from here. It's where we believe Bulma and Tarble have been taken."

"Former Frieza planet 392, eh? Geez, Frieza sure wasn't known for his creativity, was he?" Krillin chided.

Goku shrugged. "I guess not."

Krillin rolled his eyes. "Anyone could think of a better name than that. How boring! What I don't understand is why someone doesn't rename it now that that Frieza guy is gone," he added.

Yamcha laughed. "I bet everyone has been saying that. When I get there, I'm going to name it Planet Yamcha," he declared. In response to everyone's skeptical looks, Yamcha shrugged. "Well, why not? No one else is bothering to rename it."

"Well, come on, guys," Goku said. "It looks like they're almost ready to launch so we'd better get onboard. I need to let Vegeta know that I've returned. Why don't you guys find your way to the soldiers' quarters and get settled? Any of the higher-ranking individuals around here should know how to speak our language. You might have trouble communicating with the regular soldiers, though. They only seem to speak the local tongue. You want to come with me and find Vegeta, Gohan?"

"Sure, Dad. But I'm still pretty mad at him for hurting you before," Gohan replied, crossing his arms petulantly.

Goku raised an eyebrow. "Let it go, Son. You shouldn't hold grudges."

Gohan hung his head slightly. "I know," he conceded, reluctantly.

"Come on, guys. Let's go." Goku glided onto _Bijou's Justice_, flying over the heads of the many guards and soldiers rushing around on the ramp below. The others quickly followed. Goku sent Piccolo, Krillin, and Yamcha off to find their own lodgings and lead his son to Vegeta's suite.

Goku knocked casually on the door. "Vegeta? You in?"

"Enter!" was all he heard, so he pressed the button to open the automatic door.

"I'm back Vegeta! And I brought Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin, and Gohan," Goku reported cheerfully.

"Great. It looks like we will be launching in the next five minutes," Vegeta said, looking up from his reading. He spotted Gohan and quirked a brow. "Why'd you bring your brat here?"

"Aw, no reason," Goku replied, putting a hand behind his head. "I just wanted to show him around, is all. We're going to go to my room now," he said, turning to leave. Then he paused. "Hey, Vegeta, when is mealtime around here?"

Vegeta slapped his forehead. "Didn't the servant explain anything to you when he brought you to your room?" he inquired in irritation.

"Uh. He tried, but he had a really strong accent and it was definitely hard to understand," Goku conceded, looking slightly embarrassed. He started twiddling his thumbs and shuffled his feet a little at Vegeta's look of puzzlement.

Vegeta sighed. "You can order food from your room whenever you are hungry, Kakarott. Just pull on that lever right above the head of your bed and a servant will come take your order. However, if you wish to eat with the soldiers at standard mealtimes, then go down to the galley. I wouldn't recommend it, though. It's quite crowded and you have to wait in line to get your meal," he explained.

"Ah," replied Goku, with a blank face.

Vegeta stared at him. "Is that all you wanted to know?" he continued, looking slightly annoyed.

Goku scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess it is." He looked down at Gohan. "Hey, Gohan. You hungry? Want to go order something to eat?" he asked.

Goku waited for an answer, but Gohan's face was completely blank as the boy stared at Vegeta's elaborate living arrangements in astonishment. Goku waved a hand in front of his son's face. "Gohan? You okay? Hey, Gohan. Come on. This is no time to meditate."

Suddenly Gohan snapped out of it. "Wha…? What happened?" Gohan said, rubbing his head.

"You went all googly-eyed all of a sudden. You feeling alright, Gohan?" Goku asked, scratching his head in concern.

Vegeta raised a brow. "The medical center is on the third floor, if your offspring needs a doctor," he said, before going back to his reading.

Goku blinked. "It is? Well, that's good to know. Thanks, Vegeta!" He closed the automatic door to Vegeta's suite and then led his son down the hall.

"Wow," Gohan murmured.

This garnered Goku's attention. "Wow what, Son?" he asked, scratching his head.

"You weren't kidding when you said Vegeta's been living like royalty, were you, Dad?" Gohan remarked.

Goku shook his head. "Nope, sure wasn't. But our room is pretty nice too, Gohan. Not quite as upscale as Vegeta's, but still I think we'll be pretty comfortable," he explained. "Ah, here it is," Goku said as they arrived at the door. He pressed the button and the automatic door slid open to reveal the agreeable interior.

"Hey, not bad!" Gohan remarked. He ran in and jumped on the bed, bouncing a bit before settling down on his back and putting his hands behind his head to relax. He stared up at the painted ceiling. "I wonder how the other guys are holding up."

Goku shrugged. "I'm sure we can check on them later," he said, sitting down on the bed. "Now, let's get some grub!" He pulled the lever, as Vegeta had instructed.

…...

After about ten minutes of trying to figure out the bubble car's complex computer system, Bulma was finally able to give Bile's vehicle a clean bill of health. _Thank goodness I'm such a genius. Otherwise this scheme would've never worked! _she thought, crawling back out from beneath the floating car. "You're good to go, soldier. Let me know if it gives you any more trouble."

"Thanks a lot, pal! If you need any favors yourself in the future, I'm your man. See you around," Bile replied, mounting his newly repaired mode of transport.

Bulma breathed a quiet sigh of relief. _Whew… It's finally over. And they still don't have a clue who I really am! Yup. This is _definitely_ one of the best ideas I've ever had. And I've had some doozies alright,_ she thought, gloating.

"Come on, men. Let's keep looking for that blue-haired girl," Bebo proposed. "Oh, by the way, Catastrophe. If you happen to find a girl with blue hair that looks kind of like a Saiyan without a tail, catch her for us, will you? She's an escaped prisoner and we'll be in big trouble with Lords Abo and Cado if they find out we haven't found her yet. Thanks!"

Bulma's eyes popped open. _That's right. Maybe I can ask them where those gumball freaks are. If I find them, I'm sure to find Tarble,_ Bulma thought. "Certainly. I'll be on the lookout. By the way… you wouldn't happen to know which room Lord Abo and Lord Cado are in, do you? I'm supposed to… um… deliver a private message to them. And it must be in person."

"Hey, no problem, Cat," Bile replied. "Bebo, which room did you say those two were in?" he inquired, trying to remember.

"They're in Room 556 in the South Wing. But I don't recommend you seek them out just yet, Catastrophe. They're busy with a prisoner right now and they will not be happy if they are interrupted again," Bebo explained.

Bulma put a hand behind her helmet. "That's no problem at all. I can just wait until they take a break to deliver the message. Thanks for letting me know," she said, giving another salute.

Bebo, Bile, and Retch saluted her back. "See you later, Cat," Bebo said as they sped off down the corridor.

When they had finally disappeared from sight, Bulma pulled off her helmet, wiped the sweat from her brow, and breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Bulma, you need to get a medal for that performance. No, seriously. You need to get an Oscar, hands down," she said, chuckling. "Who knew I could think on my feet like that?"

Suddenly she gasped. "Wait. Those guys said that Abo and Cado are busy with a prisoner right now. They must be hurting Tarble! I've got to hurry to Room 556!" she exclaimed. Pulling her helmet back on and kicking the bubble car into gear, she darted down the corridor at breakneck speed, heading straight for the South Wing.


	11. Peepee for Punks

Chapter 11: Peepee for Punks

About an hour after the launch, a servant came to Vegeta's suite to inform him that the newest model of Saiyan armor was ready for him. The Prince jumped up from his reading spot on the sofa and demanded the suit to be brought to him at once. He could hardly wait to try it on.

About fifteen minutes later, Vegeta stood in his dressing room, checking himself out in the mirror. During his brief retreat with the Pellucian Princess, King Chrystla's scientists had completed this suit of the most high tech Saiyan armor to date, as per the Prince's orders.

The design was sleek and stylish, with a pure white but stain-resistant jumpsuit, silver boots and gloves, and expandable silver armor outlined with obsidian. As requested, the Vegeta family royal seal marked the left breast. The Prince was also presented with four different styles of capes for the ensemble: one red velvet, one black, one white, and one red on the inside and black on the outside.

Vegeta tried on all four, and liked the black one the most. He considered the possibility of requesting a silver cape, but decided to save that idea for later. Just as he ordered the other three styles put away in his wardrobe, he heard a knock on the open door to his suite. He glanced around the corner and caught a glimpse of the big orange baka standing in the entrance.

"Come in, Kakarott," the Prince said, adjusting his gloves.

Goku came in and his eyes widened in awe when he saw Vegeta's new garments. "Oh, wow, Vegeta. That armor looks amazing!" he exclaimed, astounded.

"I know," Vegeta replied with his eyes closed in a self-satisfied manner. "I can't wait to test it out on some planet's surface. It's pretty comfortable, too. Much softer against the skin than the usual material," he conveyed.

Goku's eyes lit up. "Really? Can I have a suit like that, Vegeta? Pretty please!" the Earth Saiyan begged.

Vegeta quirked a brow and took note of Goku's big, pleading eyes. "Um, well. I can order you a suit later, perhaps when we get back to Pellucid," the Prince replied.

Goku's face fell in disappointment.

"This new armor is experimental, Kakarott," the Prince explained. "This is the only piece that has been completed to date. There should be another suit with a slightly different look finished in a few days. But it will also bear the royal seal, which you are not privileged to wear, I'm afraid. However, if you don't mind wearing an older model, I can get you set up with some regular Saiyan armor right away. Like the kind you saw me wearing on Planet Namek."

Goku frowned. "Nah, I want the pretty white outfit," the Earth Saiyan grumbled.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. _Spoiled baka. _"Well, you'll just have to wait then, Kakarott. Once we return to Pellucid, the design's blueprints will be sent to a factory to have this new armor in mass production. I will gladly order you one then," he declared, returning his gaze to the mirror.

As he admired his reflection, the Prince remembered something. "Bauble, what about the tail piece? When will that part be ready?" he inquired, turning to the Pellucian servant.

"With any luck, in a few days, Your Highness. They're still working the kinks out of it, I'm afraid," Bauble reported.

Vegeta did not look bothered. "That's alright. You can't rush perfection, after all," he replied.

_Tail piece?_ Goku thought, scratching his head. He wondered what Vegeta was talking about. But he did not want to irritate the Prince with too many questions. Suddenly Goku remembered something. "Oh, Vegeta, I forgot to mention that the food we ordered from my room was delicious! I can't believe how good it was. It rivals Chi Chi's cooking!" he declared, beaming at what was now a delicious memory. "In fact, that's what I came here to tell you in the first place."

Vegeta glanced back at Goku. "Ah. Well, then, you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that the food aboard _Bijou's Justice_ is actually complete garbage compared to palace cuisine. Pellucians are well known for their culinary prowess. To be honest, it's part of the reason I decided to stay on Pellucid until the palace on Vegeta is built. I am a Saiyan, after all," he said, with a smirk.

"Lucky 'Geta," Goku complained, crossing his arms in feigned petulance.

Vegeta chuckled. "I know, I know. I'll tell you what. If everything goes according to plan and we succeed in our mission here, then it is fairly certain that the King will throw a palace ball to celebrate. I'll send you an invitation. You'll have one of the best dinners you've ever eaten in your life. Plus, there will be a lot of fun things to do afterwards, should you choose to stick around."

Goku's mouth watered at the mere suggestion, despite how full he was from his earlier meal. "You would do that for me, Vegeta?" he squeaked.

Vegeta shrugged. "Sure. Why not?" Suddenly the Prince felt himself being snatched up from the floor and squeezed tightly in a big, bear hug. His face turned beet-red. "No, no, no, Kakarott! Put me down right now! No hugs!" the royal demanded, trying to push the larger Saiyan away.

"Aw," Goku grumbled, disappointed. He reluctantly put Vegeta back down on his feet and frowned.

Despite his embarrassment, Vegeta quickly straightened himself out. He turned around to lecture Goku. "Don't you dare do that again, baka. That's a bad Kakarott!" he scolded, shaking a finger at the discombobulated clod.

Goku hung his shoulders, dejectedly.

Suddenly Vegeta's eyes were diverted from Goku to the only servant in the room, who was apparently trying and failing to suppress a grin. "You didn't see anything, Bauble!" the Prince snapped. "If I hear any rumors running around about this later, you'll be sorry!"

Bauble promptly nodded, straight-faced. "Yes, Your Highness. My lips are sealed," he said, making a hand gesture that Goku did not recognize.

Vegeta resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Fine, then. You are dismissed."

Bauble bowed to the Prince and disappeared through the open door as fast as his feet could carry him, without breaking into a full sprint.

"Now, Kakarott," Vegeta began, pacing out of the dressing room. "A little later tonight, the King, myself, and all the important parties will meet in the conference room on the fourth floor to discuss our plan of attack. You are expected to attend and I strongly suggest you bring the other Earthlings with you. They will all have parts in the undertaking once we reach 392. We all need to work together if we want to retrieve Bulma and Tarble before the serious fighting starts. Once it does, things will get very dangerous for Bulma and there's a good chance she will get hurt if she is not safely aboard _Bijou's Justice_ when the King's army attacks. Understand?"

Hearing the news, Goku's expression turned serious and he gave an austere nod. "Got it."

"Good." Vegeta tossed Goku a few scouters. "Wear one of these and someone will contact you when it is time. Give the other ones to your friends so they will know when to show up as well," he instructed.

Goku caught each of the scouters gracefully. "Okay, Vegeta. I'll go find the guys right now. I'm pretty sure Krillin and Yamcha are in the galley eating. I don't sense Piccolo with them, though. He's probably meditating on one of the lower floors. See you later, 'Geta!" he said, disappearing from the room.

…

Bulma sped towards Room 556 as fast as she could. She knew she had to come up with a plan to get Abo and Cado out of the room and distracted long enough for her to sneak in and snatch Tarble from under their noses. Given that Tarble was a Saiyan and could likely run faster than the bubble car, she figured the best way to get back to the cellar would be for Tarble to carry her on foot, so she was quick to memorize the route displayed on the computer screen.

The biggest challenge, she thought, would be to 1) get Abo and Cado out of the room and 2) distract them until she could free Tarble from whatever restraints he might be in. Bulma pulled out the DynoCaps she had brought with her and considered her options. One capsule contained a flying submarine boat, another an archaeological robot suit, and the third was labeled "miscellaneous." _Hm. The boat is too big to be useful in here, and I'm not sure the robot suit would do much for us either. I guess I'll have to test the miscellaneous one and see what's inside. Maybe it contains something that could be of use to me,_ she thought.

Bulma stopped the bubble car and took the DynoCap out of its container. She pressed the tab down and tossed it a few yards down the corridor. It exploded into a cloud, and when that cleared, a container about the size of a large suitcase lay on the floor. _Hm. I don't remember this,_ Bulma thought. She popped open the mysterious case and examined the contents. "Oh, that's right! I used this thing to store all my old inventions. How could I forget?"

The case contained a dragon radar, a few pieces of PP candy in their wrappers, a special hand grenade, a pistol, and… a micro band! _Darn it, if it weren't for those awful dreks I might've thought to check this thing back in that jail cell with Tarble. We could've escaped!_ she lamented, chastising herself for her earlier squeamishness. "Man, as great of a genius as I am, sometimes I can be such an idiot!" she exclaimed.

She snatched the PP candy, grenade, pistol, and micro band, and re-encapsulated the container with the dragon radar. She put the capsule back in its slot, stashed the candy, grenade, and gun in her chest armor, and put the micro band around her wrist. _These things could definitely come in handy. Alright. I think I've got a rough plan worked out. Now on to Room 556!_

Bulma jumped up on the bubble car and slammed on the accelerator. She sped down the hall again, heading for the South Wing. _Hang on, Tarble. I'm almost there! I hope to Kami that you are okay. Don't you dare die before I get to you!_

…

The longer the search took, the more frantic Sin became. "Keep checking your scouter, Bedo! She's got to be around here somewhere. We've already checked everywhere else and the other men are scouring the West Wing. We're going to find her soon, I know it!" he cried, beads of sweat flying off his face as the duo zoomed down the corridor.

Bedo pressed a button on his scouter. "Hey, boss! My scouter does detect something. Ah, there's two of them," he said. "Further down this hallway."

"Then step on it, nimrod!" Sin cried, slamming down on the accelerator. He sniffed the air. _The scent is very faint, but I'm sure the girl has been down here. I know she has. One of those power levels must belong to her! I just know it._

"But boss, I don't think the girl could be one of them. The power levels are too high. I don't think she's that strong," Bedo replied. "Plus, who could possibly be with her? It couldn't be that Saiyan cause last we saw, he was with Lords Abo and Cado in Room 556."

"It has to be her, you fool. Don't you understand? She's managed to evade us for this long because she's stronger than she looks. She must have been hiding her true power level. Our biggest mistake was in underestimating her on account of her being a female. Perhaps she's a Saiyan that lost her tail. Who knows? I just don't see any other explanation!" Sin exclaimed.

Bedo blinked. "This room up ahead is it. She's in there with some other person!" he said, pointing to one of the rooms on the left side of the corridor, before the dead end wall.

Both men slammed on the breaks, jumped out of their vehicles, and screeched to a halt at the threshold to the torture room. What they saw made them both face plant on the ground simultaneously.

Sin pushed himself up and stared in horror at the revolting sight. Bedo did the same. "That. _Is_. Disgusting," Sin remarked. "I will never be able to unsee that," he said, crawling backwards out of the room and trying to rub the vision from his burning eyes.

"B-b-boss, I think this is going to haunt me for the rest of my days," Bedo added, looking away. "To think, Pitch and Proteus…? I didn't think they swung like that! My eyes are on fire! Oh, my stomach. I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Quick, Bedo. Let's get out of here before they wake up! We must never speak a word of this to anyone! It didn't happen! Come on, hurry!" Sin beckoned, jumping back on his bubble car.

As they sped back up the corridor they had just come down, Bedo's lips started to quiver. "B-boss, I don't think I'm ever going to be able to look those two in the face again. What are we going to do?" he squeaked.

"Nothing, Bedo. Stop thinking about it! That's an order. It didn't happen, you hear me!" the first mate decreed, trying to reassure himself as well. He was trembling. "N-nothing happened. We're still looking for the blue-haired girl. Keep your eyes on the prize, Bedo."

"Eyes on the prize, eyes on the prize, eyes on the prize, eyes on the prize…" Bedo kept repeating to himself, pushing the thoughts of his crewmates' apparent perversions to the back of his mind.

"Check your map, Bedo," Sin suddenly said. "Three other cars are heading this way. It must be Bebo, Bile, and Retch. Maybe they found the girl!"

"Eyes on the prize, eyes on the prize, eyes on the prize, eyes on the prize…" Bedo continued, oblivious to the orders of his superior.

Sin bumped Bedo's bubble car with his own. "Snap out of it, Bedo! We're about to meet up with the others," the first mate commanded.

Bedo jumped in surprise at the unexpected bump and looked at Sin with wide, terrified eyes. "Y-yes, boss," he finally murmured.

Three other bubble cars sped around the corner and came to a halt. Sin and Bedo did the same. All five drivers dismounted their vehicles.

Sin approached the others. "What's the news, men? Have you found her and brought her to Lord Cado's cabin yet?" he inquired, looking hopeful.

Bebo scratched his head. "No, boss. We looked everywhere and there wasn't a single sign of her. So you two haven't found her either?" he replied.

Sin's jaw dropped about six inches at the unbearable news. "You c-can't be serious. You morons had better look a hell of a lot harder or we're all done for!" he shrieked.

Retch jumped in fear. "M-maybe she isn't really in the Torture Wing. It's possible that she could have spotted one of us and went back to the cellar. I don't see any other explanations, sir. There's no sign of her at all. We even got another guy helping us look, and we haven't heard back from him yet either!" he exclaimed.

Sin quirked an eyebrow, surprised. "Another guy?" he inquired. "Who? _Are you sure he won't snitch to our superiors?_ You had better be sure!"

"Yes, boss," Bile said. "There's nothing to worry about. It's just the new engineer from base, Catastrophe. He's great. He even fixed my bubble car for me. I'm sure he won't do anything to get us in trouble with Lords Abo and Cado, or the captain."

"What?" Sin retorted, confused. "New engineer? We didn't send for any new engineers. And there certainly is no one named Catastrophe aboard this vessel. I would be one of the first to know!"

"Sure there is, boss," Bile replied. "I saw him with my own six eyes."

Sin narrowed his own two eyes at Bebo, Bile, and Retch. "What did this 'Catastrophe' fellow look like?" he inquired, scratching his chin.

They all looked surprised at the inquiry. "We're not sure, boss. He was wearing his helmet and visor. Why do you ask, sir?" Bebo inquired, scratching his head like a clueless moron.

Sin clenched his teeth. "Where did you last see this so-called 'Catastrophe'?" he inquired. "Take me there now!"

Bile blinked. "How come? I'm sure he can't be there no more. He seemed like a pretty busy guy, going around fixing machinery, delivering messages, and whatnot. The captain might get mad at us if we keep him from fulfilling his duties, boss," he said.

Sin raised an eyebrow. "Delivering messages, you say? To whom was he 'delivering messages'?" the first mate inquired.

"To Lords Abo and Cado," Retch chimed. "He said he had a private message for them that had to be delivered in person. But don't worry, boss. We warned him not to interrupt them while they're busy with that Saiyan. He understood and said he would wait till they were done."

Sin's eyes bulged out of his head and his jaw dropped. _It's her! It has to be. Only these idiots would be stupid enough to fall for a cross-dressing trick like that. She must be going after her little Saiyan friend… Wait. What am I saying? No woman would be bold enough to try a stunt like that. But this is no ordinary woman!_ He suddenly gasped in realization. _Oh, no. If Lords Abo and Cado discover her before we do, they'll know I lied. We'll all be goners!_

"Something wrong, boss?" Bebo, Bedo, Retch, and Bile inquired all in unison.

Sin jumped on his bubble car and sped off. "Follow me, men. Hurry! There's not much time," he cried, nearly breaking the accelerator as he darted down the corridor. _How did a mere female manage to outsmart me like this? It makes no sense. Oh please, oh please, oh please, let me be wrong! _

…...

Chi Chi sat up in bed and did a few stretches. "Oh, my aching back," she murmured, rubbing along the sides of her spine. She yawned and pulled her feet over the side of the master bed. _I'm still pretty tired, but I do feel a little better after that nap. I wonder where Goku and Gohan are,_ she thought to herself. Suddenly she heard a knock, so she went into the living room and made her way to the front door.

Upon opening the door, she was met with the very welcome sight of her father's gleeful face. "Dad! Thank you so much for coming over," she greeted, giving him a quick hug. "Sorry about my appearance. I just woke up from a nap. I've just been feeling so drained lately," she murmured, plopping down on the couch.

"I understand, honey. Your mama was totally exhausted for the whole nine months before you were born. You've got nothing to be ashamed of. So how are you and the baby doing otherwise?" her father inquired, sitting down on the recliner.

Chi Chi shrugged a bit. "Well, the baby is cheerful enough, but you can imagine the effect he's having on me, practicing his martial arts on my guts all the time," she groaned, placing a hand on her belly. "I don't think this kid _ever_ sleeps."

The Ox King looked concerned. "If it'll make you feel better, I can order you a prenatal masseuse, sweetie. Would you like me to do that?"

"Maybe later, Dad," Chi Chi replied. "I've still somehow got to summon the energy to fix an enormous meal for my family before they get home. _Presumably_ Gohan finished his homework already and left to go swimming with his father while I was napping. If that homework's not done, boy are those two going to in trouble!" she ground out, drawing her brows together fiercely. Then she dropped the angry expression and sighed.

The Ox King chuckled. "Aw, I'll go check in Gohan's room. Maybe he's still in there doing his homework. The kid never makes a sound when he's busy writing an essay or studying his math," he said, rubbing the back of his head. He turned toward the back of the house and disappeared into the boy's bedroom. Chi Chi closed her eyes and began to doze a little, absentmindedly.

When the Ox King got to Gohan's room, he observed that Gohan was indeed absent, as were all his books, notebook, and his knapsack. _Hm. Maybe he decided to go to the school library. He always does have an easier time studying there._ Suddenly the giant noticed a piece of paper sitting on Gohan's otherwise spotless desk. _Oh, good! He left a note. What a good kid,_ thought the Ox King.

He picked up the note and read. "Hi Mom! This is Gohan. I just wrote this note to let you know that there's no reason to worry." Immediately, the Ox King's interest was piqued and he frowned slightly. He continued to read, his expression growing more fearful with each sentence. "Dad thinks he knows where Bulma and Tarble have been taken. So Yamcha, Krillin, Piccolo, Dad, and I have gone to find them. We already dropped by the school to let them know that I'll be missing a few days. They gave me some extra homework and I brought it all with me, so I won't be behind by the time we get back. If anything, I'll be ahead of the other kids! And don't worry about my safety either, Mom. We've got all the strongest fighters with us and we suspect the enemy to be pretty weak. The risk of the other guys or me getting hurt is very slim. Be home soon. Love, Gohan."

By the time the Ox King finished reading the note, his face was bluer than the sky on a clear, sunny day. _Oh, no! Well, I'm not worried about Gohan. I know he's a big boy and he'll be just fine with his Dad and Piccolo with him. But in Chi Chi's condition, she's not likely to take this in any way rationally. If she finds out they left to find Bulma, my little girl will have a heart attack. Kami knows what could happen to my new grandson if she gets stressed out! I've got to find a way to cover up for these guys until they get back. But I don't even know how long they'll be gone! Oh, no, what am I going to do?_

Suddenly he heard Chi Chi's sleepy voice. "Dad? Is everything okay in there?" she called from the sofa in the family room.

The Ox King almost jumped out of his skin and turned in her direction. A large bead of sweat began to form on his forehead. "Y-y-yes, honey! Everything's fine. It looks like Gohan finished his homework early and, um, went to a friend's house to study some more. Nothing to worry about, dear," he stuttered out, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh, really?" Chi Chi called back, sounding surprisingly pleased. "That's wonderful! Could you bring his work in here? I'm awfully tired, but I need to check over his answers before he turns it in tomorrow."

The Ox King felt a tinge of panic rise up in his belly. "Y-you want to check G-Gohan's homework? Oh, th-there's no need, Chi Chi. You ought to be resting, honey. I can do the homework check for you, no problem. You know, better yet, why don't you go take another nap? You look exhausted. Don't even worry about dinner. I can go get us some takeout from a nice restaurant. I really think you ought to be resting. Really, Chi Chi, you should be taking care of your own health so that baby can grow up big and strong like his older brother. I don't want you to overexert yourself in your condition. What do you say, sweetie? You want to rest up a bit more before dinner?" he asserted, speaking much faster than he intended.

There was a momentary pause before Chi Chi finally replied. "Um, Dad. Can you repeat what you just said, only much more slowly? I hardly caught a word of it."

The Ox King collapsed facedown on the floor.

"Well?" Chi Chi said, after waiting a few seconds for an answer.

The Ox King crawled over to the door of Gohan's room and pulled himself back up to his feet using the wooden doorframe. "I said," he repeated, in a more controlled manner, "I'll go get some takeout for you all from a nice restaurant so you don't have to cook, sweetie. I think you should be resting in your condition and taking care of that baby in your belly."

"Oh! Well, that's very nice of you, Dad. But there's a great big trout in the fridge from this morning and I don't want it to go bad. I really ought to get started cooking. It'll take at least an hour to cook all the way through and I know a couple of starving Saiyans who could be home any minute demanding enough food to feed an army out of me," Chi Chi replied. He saw her turn over on her side on the couch, eyes still closed. To his relief, she yawned again. "I am awfully tired, though," she admitted.

A light bulb illuminated the Ox King's brain. "Then I'll cook it for you! Really I think you ought to rest, Chi Chi! Let me take care of dinner."

Chi Chi rolled her eyes lightly beneath closed eyelids. "Oh, Dad. You don't know the first thing about cooking," she chided, smirking slightly at the silly proposal. "It was a sweet thought, though."

"Ah, well…" the Ox King replied, trying to stall. "I guess if you insist, honey. Just take it easy. You know what? Why don't we divide up the work? I'll check Gohan's homework for mistakes while you cook dinner. That way, you won't have as much work to do. I may not be a great chef, but I can certainly handle a few little math problems," he expressed, laughing nervously.

Chi Chi shrugged, and sat up on the couch. "Well, alright. As long as you let me give it a once-over when you're done. I guess that sounds pretty reasonable. Thanks, Dad!" She stood up slowly, placing a hand on her lower back for support. "Now, I have to get cracking on that fish," she said, waddling to the kitchen.

The Ox King breathed a sigh of relief, but then his heart dropped again like a rock. _A once-over? She wants to g-give Gohan's homework a once-over! Aw, great. Now I have to forge a bunch of math homework for a nine-year-old boy. Ah, gee. The work of a grandpa is never done… nor is it easy, for that matter. I need to have a talk with my grandson and son-in-law when they get back. What were they thinking leaving me in a position like this?_ he harrumphed.

The Ox King sighed inwardly and, biting the bullet, he started rummaging through the drawers of Gohan's desk to see what the boy had been studying lately. To his great misfortune, all of Gohan's work was gone. The kid really had taken all his homework with him on this newest little escapade. "Aw, nuts! It's going to take a miracle to get me out of this one," he whispered to himself, biting his fingernails.

…...

As Bulma neared the South Wing corridor, her heart began to skip every other beat now and again. _What if I'm too late? What if they already killed him?_ Tears welled up in her eyes under the visor. _Oh, no. Poor Tarble._ As she approached her destination, she thought she heard the cruel sounds of something striking hard against bare flesh and groans of agony, but she prayed it was just her imagination.

_Come on, Bulma girl. No matter how bad it is you've got to face your fears. That's the only way you're ever going to get out of this one alive! No matter how scary it is. I've just got to take the bull by the horns!_ As she grew ever closer, her first fear was confirmed. In one of the rooms up ahead, Tarble was pleading for mercy. She could hear his terrified voice quite clearly. The sickening sound of a whip echoed through the halls, followed by a pained howl, and made Bulma's stomach churn.

Suddenly the sound stopped and Bulma could hear the villains cackling as Tarble whimpered in pain. "I bet you're sorry you defied us now, aren't you, Saiyan? You thinking about telling us where your father hid his treasure yet? Or do you need more… _convincing_," came the cruel voice of Cado.

Tears ran profusely down Bulma's face. She had never heard the ugly sounds of such a brutal beating before. Suddenly she realized how sheltered she had been for all of her life. _Those bullies! How dare they hurt him like that! Oooh, I swear if Goku or Vegeta were here they'd be dead meat! But since they're not here, I'm going to have to try to get Tarble out of this on my own._

She turned her bubble car and drove it into an empty room, stashing it in the corner. Then she darted back into the corridor and snuck up to the threshold of Room 556. As much as she dreaded the sight she was about to behold, she knew there was no way around it. To help Tarble, she was going to have to look at him, no matter how badly they had brutalized him. She snuck a glance around the corner into the room. All she saw was Abo sitting at a table, watching the scene to the far left of the room with amusement.

_Okay,_ she thought. _So they're both in there. Now to get them out so I can get in._ She pulled the hand grenade out of her chest armor, pulled the pin out with her teeth, and threw it as far as she could down the corridor past Room 556. Before it even went off, she darted back into Room 554, wherein she had hidden her vehicle.

_Ka-booom! _It exploded and rumbled down the hall, shaking the floors and walls as if another meteor shower had struck. Bulma peered gingerly out into the hall. Both Abo and Cado ran outside to check it out, as expected.

"What in the heck was that?" Abo cried.

Bulma shrunk herself until she was about two feet tall with the micro band on her wrist and made a break for Room 556 while both of the villains' backs were turned. Without even looking at Tarble, she unshrunk herself and dropped a few pieces of PP candy on the table. She shrank herself again, this time down to the size of a mouse. "All right, creeps. Let's see if you have a sweet tooth," she whispered.

Against her better judgment, she shot a glance at the left side of the room and bit her bottom lip hard. Tarble was not in good shape. His whole torso was bruised, bloodied, and covered in more lash marks than she could count. His body was like a ragdoll leaning against the chains. With his hair and face soaked with sweat and tears, he looked completely drained and only barely holding onto consciousness. _Oh, no! He's not going to be able to run for the exit in this condition. _Bulma sighed. _Alas, the work of a genius is never done._

"Do you think it was another asteroid?" came the voice of Cado outside the room.

"I don't think so, Cado. The sirens would be going off. I have no idea what that was. Maybe a piece of failed machinery? Your guess is as good as mine. Looks like something must have exploded, but it's hard to say what," Abo replied.

"Anyway," Cado said. "It doesn't look like the ship is in any danger. Let's just get back to work. Someone else can clean up this mess."

Both aliens reappeared in the doorway, and Bulma ducked behind one of the legs of the table.

"What's this on the table?" Abo said. "I can't believe I didn't see this before. Well, I must have knocked something over when that explosion hit."

Bulma crossed the fingers on both of her hands. _Please be stupid enough to fall for it, please be stupid enough to fall for it, please me stupid enough to fall for it,_ she kept mentally repeating.

"It looks like candy," Cado said. "Mm, tasty. Why don't you try some, brother? It's pretty darn good," he declared, sucking on a piece.

"Well, I'm not a huge fan of sweets, but I suppose. This kind of work always does leave me famished," Abo said.

Bulma had to hold back a whoop of triumph until she was sure both aliens had ingested the candy. _Alright, just give it a little time to take effect…_

"Alright, monkey, break time's over," Cado murmured with an evil chuckle, approaching the exhausted Saiyan once more.

Bulma saw Cado douse Tarble with something in a glass he was holding. Wine or some other beverage, she figured. Tarble hissed as the liquid burned his raw nerves. Bulma gritted her teeth in anger and watched Cado take hold of the chain around Tarble's neck, shaking him. "Wake up, ape! Don't think for even a second you can buy yourself more downtime by pretending to be unconscious. We're not stupid!"

_You wanna bet?_ Bulma thought. Just as Cado drew back an arm preparing to slap Tarble hard across the face, the Earth woman pulled out her pistol and shot the big, red alien right in the butt. He hopped back holding his ass and dropped Tarble.

"Don't touch him, you big ugly Neanderthals!" Bulma cried, darting out from beneath the table. She adjusted the micro band, setting it back to normal size.

Abo and Cado both jumped around in shock and glared daggers at the disguised Earthling as she returned herself to full size. _"Who in the hell are you?"_ they both cried in unison.

Bulma popped off her helmet and started making rude faces at them. "Nah nah! You guys are so fat that you don't even need a planet to live on. You've got your own gravity field and atmosphere!" she spat, blowing raspberries at them.

Both of them gasped and stared at her in shock. "Im… _impossible_. It's that girl! How did you escape from my cabin?" Cado charged angrily. "Sin said he left you hog-tied!"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Sin lied, you idiot. I never got caught to begin with and I never even saw your ugly, old cabin. Now back away from the Saiyan before you make me _really_ mad!" she yelled.

"_Bul… Bulma?"_ Tarble rasped, trying painfully to lift his head so he could see her. "Is that really you?" He coughed and then winced in pain.

"Save your strength, Tarble. I promise everything is going to be okay," Bulma replied. "Now get away from him, you punks. That's an order!"

Abo and Cado continued to stare in shock for another few seconds, but then they both suddenly burst out laughing. "Ah ha ha ha! So you think you can defeat us, do you? You're just a weak woman. Your power level can be counted on one hand. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Abo cried as Cado fell to the floor laughing, holding his aching sides.

"She is a great comedian, isn't she, brother? Maybe we did underestimate her after all. I guess we better apologize before she beats us up, huh?" Cado replied, howling in amusement.

"Yeah," Abo said. "She might make us laugh ourselves to death. Wouldn't that be some way to go? Ah ha ha ha ha!"

Bulma looked slightly peeved for a moment, but then she smirked.

"Give it up, girly," Cado sneered, finding his composure and getting up from the floor. He rounded on her. "I'll tell you what, if you get down on your knees and lick my boots clean, I promise to go a lot easier on you later. We all three know you don't stand a chance against either of us."

"Oh, yeah?" Bulma retorted, flashing him a wicked grin. "I think the _bathroom_ says otherwise!" She pointed a stiff finger straight at the restroom door in the back of the closet. Then she started chanting, "Peepee peepee peepee!" repeatedly.

For a second Abo and Cado looked discombobulated at the strange utterings. Then their faces flushed red and they both held onto their stomachs. Cado looked mortified. "I… I gotta go to the bathroom, Abo!" He ran for the back.

"No! Me first, me first!" Abo cried, making a break for the narrow bathroom door. They both dove for it at the same time and got stuck right in the threshold. "Move it, Cado. I think I'm going to be sick. Get out of my way!"

As the pushing and shoving continued, Bulma snapped the micro band off of her own wrist and snapped it onto Tarble's. "Don't worry, Tarb. I'll have you out of here in a minute. She set the micro band on his wrist to shrink him until his head was small enough to fit through the shackle cuff around his neck. He groaned and seemed to pass out as she pulled his arms and legs out of the shackles and picked the toddler-sized Saiyan up bridal-style.

She sprinted out of the room and jumped onto her bubble car in Room 554. Kicking it into gear, she zoomed off down the hallway with a tiny Tarble in her arms. _Now _that's_ how you pull off a genius rescue! Way to go, Bulma! I always knew you had it in you!_ she thought to herself.

…...

Princess Sapphire and Gure stayed up late into the night in the palace spa, getting facials done, soaking in mud baths, and chatting away. While Sapphire had considered sneaking aboard _Bijou's Justice_ to take a part in the action, she knew from experience that she would never get away with it. Her mother would report her missing, and then her father would not rest until every crook and cranny of the mothership had been searched high and low.

So, instead of tempt fate, Sapphire elected to fulfill her obligations as per her father's orders. It was a tough decision, but it turned out to be well worth it. She had discovered a new friend in Gure, and seemed to greatly enjoy the Furutisian woman's company.

"Your Highness, I feel so much better now knowing that Vegeta is out there looking for Tarble," Gure conveyed, sighing in relaxation.

"Oh, Gure. Why don't you just call me Sapphire? There's no need for such formalities," the Princess replied. "We're practically sisters already."

Gure's little dot eyes sparkled. "Really? Gee, thanks. Well, Sapphire, do you think the chances are pretty good that Vegeta will succeed? He seems like the kind of guy who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Which, in this case, is certainly a good quality to have."

Princess Sapphire pursed her lips. She feared that telling the truth might distress Gure. Sure, she thought Vegeta would find Tarble. The uncertainty was of the state that he would find him in. _Bijou's Justice_ would not reach 392 for a few days, and plenty of bad things could happen to someone in that amount of time.

Princess Sapphire knew she could lie and say she was certain that Tarble would be fine. But she did not want to get Gure's hopes up, only to have them come crashing down in a worse case scenario. She resolved to sugarcoat the truth. "Well, Gure, I think chances are pretty good that Vegeta will come back with Tarble. But even so, we should try to mentally prepare ourselves for the worst. Just in case."

When Gure's face promptly fell, Sapphire mentally slapped herself. _This is what I get for being frank with someone that I don't know well enough to be frank with,_ she thought, chastising herself. _Whatever happened to my discretion?_ She lifted herself out of the mud bath and squeezed the mixture out of her hair. "Listen, Gure. Why don't we go do something more active? I think the only way we're going to stay sane until we get word back is to keep our minds off of it."

Gure groaned and sank down lower in her mud bath. "I don't know, Sapphire. I don't feel so good," she murmured, feeling a tear prick at the back of her eye.

Sapphire glanced over her shoulder at the Furutisian. She turned around and kneeled by the side of Gure's mud bath, examining the small alien closely. "Well, I don't know much about your kind, but I'd say you don't look so good either," she said, worriedly.

Over the past hours that Sapphire had known her, Gure's skin had been a clean waxy white. But it was now yellowish and heavily beaded with sweat. The Princess crinkled her aqua brow in concern. "What is wrong, Gure? It couldn't just be what I said, could it?"

Gure gritted her teeth and shook her head. "No, that's not it." She bit her lip and paused. "Sapphire, Planet Pellucid doesn't happen to have any moons, does it?" she inquired, rising shakily from the mud bath.

Sapphire blinked in confusion. "Why, yes. It does. We have five moons. I'm sure at least two of them are full right now. Would you like to go see? They are quite lovely, especially on a clear night like this."

Gure stiffly shook her head. "Not a good idea. Full moons have certain… _effects_ on me. I think it's happening right now, in fact. Oh, I need my Tarble," she whimpered.

"Effects? You mean like the effect they have on Saiyans?" Sapphire inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Sort of," Gure replied.

Sapphire crinkled her brow in concern. "Can you control the effects like Vegeta can? What's going to happen? And how can I help you? Do I need to get you a doctor?"

"I don't know," Gure murmured. "I've never gone through the change without my mate. I need my Tarble. Oh, I wish he were here. I don't know what I'm going to do without him," she said, her lower lip shaking.

"Here, let's go get washed up. I'll take you to the…" But before Sapphire could finish, Gure fell to her knees on the floor by the mud bath.

"Oh," Gure groaned, feeling woozy. "Oh, no, Sapphire. I can't stand up. It's happening. I'm scared. I've never changed without Tarble. I need him to distract me from the pain. I don't know what I'll do without him!" she cried, curling into a fetal position.

Sapphire pulled on her own mud robe and placed Gure's over the Furutisian's shivering form. "I'll help you as best as I can, Gure. Is this normal for your kind? Tell me what to expect."

Gure swallowed. "Y-yes. This is normal for the men and women of my race. When a certain gland in our brains senses the waves emitted by certain types of full moons, it begins to pump our blood stream full of hormones," she explained in a shaky voice.

"So, it is for reproduction then?" the Princess inquired.

"Yes," Gure replied. "The Furutisian moon is full one time in a Furutisian year, and that is essentially our mating season. We don't need to see the moon. We just sense it. But we can complete the transformation faster if we look at it. The transformation itself is not very painful if a Furutisian is with his or her love when it happens. But it can be agonizing without them. Oh, Sapphire, I'm frightened! I am not good with pain," she murmured, her eyes filling with tears. _"I need my Tarble."_

Gure's tiny mud-cloaked body started to pulse and quiver as the moon waves took hold. Tears streamed from her little dot eyes.

Princess Sapphire held onto her hand. "It's alright. I'm here. I'll help you get through this as best as I can. It will be alright, Gure. I promise," she cooed reassuringly. As she watched the transformation in awe, it seemed as if the Furutisian was growing taller and larger.

Cracking sounds could be heard as some bones broke and reformed, broke and reformed. Gure shrieked in agony. "Ow! Oh, Tarble where are you?" she cried at the top of her lungs. "I need you Tarble! I can't live without you!"

The Furutisian's body grew to a more humanoid size and feminine curves began to form where none had been previously. Slender, pointy ears grew from the sides of Gure's head and flesh-colored hair grew from her scalp until it extended about halfway down her back.

"Oh, my!" Princess Sapphire remarked, stunned at the effects of the transformation.

Gure let out another cry as the transformation completed itself. Her tear-stained eyes extended into almond-shaped orbs. Then everything suddenly abated. Gure lay on the floor of the palace spa, breathless from the change, but relieved that the ordeal was finally over.

Princess Sapphire put a hand on her forehead. "Is everything okay now?" she inquired in apprehension.

Gure nodded wearily, and pushed herself up from the floor to a sitting position, wrapping the mud robe tightly around her. She ran a hand through her pallid hair. "Yes, it is over. Oh, that was awful. Thank you for being here for me, Sapphire. I would have been so much more terrified if I had been alone," she replied, giving the Princess a small hug. "I think I'm ready to go get cleaned up now."

Sapphire helped Gure to her feet.

Gure was much taller now. Though the Furutisian was still nowhere near as tall as the Pellucian Princess, she had roughly doubled in height.

"Wow, you've grown!" Sapphire remarked.

Gure giggled. "Yes, I know. I'm almost as tall as my husband in this form. With higher shoes I can even make him look up at me," she conveyed, laughing.

Princess Sapphire chuckled, too. Suddenly her eyes popped open as an idea lit up in her brain. "Hey! With that body, I bet you could fit into our stylish Pellucian clothes. You want to come with me and see what Pellucian fashion has to offer?"

Gure clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh, that sounds like fun. Let's have a fashion show! I can't wait," she replied, chuckling.

The two women went to the hot spa showers, removed their robes, and cleaned the mud from their bodies, giggling and talking about clothes and men. When they were done they put on fresh garments and made a beeline for the tower of the royal tailor.

…...

"Don't worry, men. If the woman was in disguise, then there's a good chance they wouldn't recognize her even if they did see her. All we have to do is catch her and bring her to Lord Cado's cabin before Lord Cado goes there!" Sin exclaimed as his men raced down the South Wing corridor.

"You really think Catastrophe was a woman, sir?" Bile replied, skeptically. "What kind of woman would be able to fix complex machinery like my bubble car?"

"We're clearly not dealing with any ordinary woman, Bile! We must all be on our guards this time. Whatever you do, do not underestimate her!" Sin warned.

All of the crewmen nodded, but still looked puzzled.

As soon as they rounded a corner, they saw that part of the corridor a ways down was in fact a smoking crater. All five of the space pirates slammed on the breaks and hopped out of their bubble cars.

"What in the cosmos happened here?" Sin exclaimed, staring in horror at the damaged floor, walls, and shrapnel-embedded ceiling. Suddenly they all heard the sounds of a spat coming from Room 556. "Come on, men. I don't know what's going on, but I think Lords Abo and Cado might appreciate our help, whatever it is."

Sin, Bebo, Bedo, Bile, and Retch jogged down the hall to Room 556 and poked their heads inside. Collectively, they were all hit with the worst of possible smells. Abo and Cado's heads were still jammed in the bathroom threshold, struggling to get unstuck. The butts of both of their navy blue jumpsuits were suspiciously dark brown in color and seemed to be leaking.

"Ack! Pew! What is that horrible stench?" Retch cried, holding his nose. "Gods, it's worse than the smell on Planet Methate!"

"Great cosmos, Retch. You're right. Yuck, I think I'm going to puke!" Bile cried, turning greener than usual and backing away with a hand over his mouth.

Sin's lips started to quiver in horror. "L-Lords Abo and Cado?" he inquired, staring at the scene in horror.

"Sin? Sin! Is that you?" Abo said, writhing to get a glance into the main room.

"Y-yes, my Lor…" Sin began, but was promptly interrupted by Cado's fury.

"You're a dead man, Sin! You never caught the blue-haired woman! She was here and she stole the Saiyan from us. When we get free, we're going to tear you to pieces and scatter your parts _all over this galaxy_!" Cado shrieked in ire.

Sin's face turned blue as he began to back away in terror.

"Yeah!" Abo chimed. "And the same goes for all your pathetic lackeys! You're all dead meat!

Bebo, Bedo, Bile, and Retch jumped in fear.

"What have you gotten us into, Bebo?" Retch cried, brandishing a fist at him.

Bile rounded on his former buddy as well. "Yeah! Now we're going to die, and it's all thanks to you!" he accused.

"P-please, my Lords. Give us another chance," Sin pleaded, falling to his knees. "We can make this right. It wasn't really our fault! That woman turned out to be far more cunning than any of us suspected. Please, Lords Abo and Cado, don't execute us! We can do better. I know we can! Oh please, my Lords!"

"Not a chance! You signed your death warrant when you lied to us about having caught the woman. Now we've lost the Saiyan Tarble too and you are to blame!" Cado spat, struggling harder than ever against his brother's bloated frame.

Sin's face went from blue to white, as did the faces of the other crewmen.

"B-b-boss, what do we do now?" Bedo stuttered, trembling.

A moment of silence reigned before Sin jumped to his feet. "Last one to the escape pods is a rotten egg!" he exclaimed. He jumped on his bubble car and sped away as fast as the vehicle could carry him.

The other men looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before rushing off after him in their own bubble cars. "Wait up, boss! Don't leave us behind!" Bebo cried, slamming down the accelerator.

They all disappeared down the corridor, provoking rage from Abo and Cado unlike the two brothers had ever known before. "Bloody cowards! We'll find you! No matter where you go!" Abo warned. "You can't evade us! We'll track you to the _ends of the universe_!"

"Yeah!" Cado chimed. "And when we do, you all will wish you'd never been born!"

But it was too late. The men were all gone.

…

Chi Chi hummed away in the kitchen while the Ox King frantically tried to come up with advanced algebra problems to solve. As he listened to the distracting clink and clank of pots and pans, he started to think that lying might not have been the best approach to the situation. In all likelihood, Chi Chi would flip even more than she would have otherwise if she found out now. And, unfortunately, the Ox King was not sure how long he could keep up the charade. As he sat there fretting, he started to pray for a miracle. _Anything to get me out of this!_ he thought.

Just when the large man was about to give up and spill the beans to his daughter, he heard the sound of dishes crashing in the kitchen. "Ohhh!" he heard Chi Chi cry. He jumped up and bolted out of Gohan's bedroom.

"Chi Chi? Is everything alright?" the Ox King shouted, rounding the corner into the kitchen. He found his daughter hunched over at the kitchen counter, wincing and holding her stomach in pain. "Chi Chi, darling! What's wrong?"

"I think… I think the_ baby is coming_," Chi Chi murmured through clenched teeth, lowering herself down onto one knee. "Oh, ouch!"

The Ox King gasped. "It can't be! He's not due for a whole two months! Gosh, Chi Chi. I've got to rush you to the hospital right away!" he cried.

Chi Chi nodded painfully. "Oh, ow! Dad, go to the master bedroom. There is an emergency hospital bag on the dresser. Hurry! I'll try to make it out to your car," she groaned, leaning on the kitchen counter for support. She reached over and turned off the stove. "Oh dear, it's too bad about the fish."

"No, Chi Chi! You stay put. I can get the bag and carry you. Don't worry, honey. Everything is going to be okay," he reassured, patting her back. He bolted like lightning to the master bedroom and threw the emergency hospital bag over his shoulder, then bolted to the car and dropped it in the trunk. In less than thirty seconds, he was back at Chi Chi's side. He picked her up carefully bridal style and carried her to the car.

"Oooh, oh, Daddy! The contractions are getting worse. Please hurry!" Chi Chi cried as he placed her in the passenger's side. She struggled to buckle her seatbelt over her swollen abdomen, so he helped her once he had taken his place in the driver's seat.

"Your water is still intact, right?" the Ox King inquired. She nodded. "Good," he said. "We're still in the clear. Don't worry, honey. We'll be to the hospital in no time. Just do your deep breathing. It will help with the pain."

Chi Chi nodded and started doing her breathing exercises. "Oh, Dad, I wish Goku was here. When I'm in the hospital, would you see if you could find him for me? I would be very grateful," she murmured.

"Of course, dear," her father said, patting her knee. He rode down the dirt road toward the city hospital, driving at breakneck speed.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Chi Chi was in agony. The medics at the curbside helped her into a wheelchair and then rolled her into the emergency ward. The Ox King sat in the waiting room, sweating buckets and twiddling his thumbs, fearing for the very worst. _Oh, I hope she's okay. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to my baby girl,_ he thought anxiously.

The wait seemed to take forever. Finally a nurse appeared in the room. "Mr. Ox King?" she said, reading from her clipboard.

The Ox King jumped up. "Yes! That's me! How is she, nurse? Is she okay? Is she going into premature labor? Please, tell me it's not serious!" he cried, sniveling at her feet.

A bead of sweat formed on the nurse's brow, and she put a hand behind her neck. "It's alright, sir," the woman reassured him. "The doctors weren't sure if she was going into premature labor or if it was just a false alarm. So they gave her drugs to stop the contractions and then we wheeled her over to the maternity ward. Dr. Bulberry thinks she's suffering from exhaustion and stress, so he intends to monitor her for a few hours at least. You might be able to take her home tonight. Also, Mrs. Son requested to see her son and husband. Do you think you could get in contact with them for her?" she inquired.

"I'll try. But… could I perhaps speak to Dr. Bulberry in private first?" the Ox King inquired. "There's something he needs to know about. I'm worried that it could affect my daughter's health."

The nurse raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

The Ox King looked desperate. "Please, it's important! I want to speak to him alone."

The nurse gave him a smile. "Of course, sir. I'll let the doctor know and we'll call you when he's available," she replied.

The Ox King looked relieved. "Great. Thanks!"

…...

When Bulma finally found her way back to the exit with an unconscious Tarble, she was so relieved. She stashed her bubble car in the corner of one of the torture rooms so nobody would find it and figure out where she had gone.

Just as she was about to make a break for the exit, she heard the sound of several bubble cars rapidly speeding in her direction. Her face turned blue and she ducked back inside the room just in time to avoid detection.

"Hurry, men! We've got to get to those space pods before Lords Abo and Cado get free or else we're dead meat!" came a familiar voice. It was Sin. Cradling Tarble in her arms, she peered carefully past the threshold as the five sped past.

Bulma smirked. "Looks like I won't have to worry about those goons anymore," she whispered to herself, snickering. With Sin, Bebo, Bedo, Bile, and Retch in a rush to get off the ship, Bulma felt pretty relieved. However, the moment of reprieve did not last for long when she observed the red blood all over her white gloves. Tarble was bleeding and needed medical attention fast. He was in no condition to make a clean escape from the ship with her.

_I've got to find a safe hiding place for us. The storage cellar is the best bet. With all those crates and stuff, they'll have a lot of trouble finding us for sure._ She waited until the space pirates had disappeared through the exit before approaching it.

"Open Sunflower!" Bulma commanded. The door glided open and she gingerly peered out. Nobody was there so she entered the cellar and tiptoed around, looking for a good hiding spot. Some of the crates piled up against a wall were as big as cars. She put Tarble down on top of a smaller crate and cranked the top off of a large one. She stood on her tiptoes to examine the contents. _Robotic equipment? Hm. Maybe I can make use of this stuff._

Despite the contents, it still looked like there was enough room inside the crate to hide her and the Saiyan Prince. It would be a bit cramped, but at least they would be safe. But first, Bulma needed some bandages and disinfectant. She pulled out her remaining DynoCaps and selected the one containing the robot suit. She pressed the tab and tossed the capsule down an aisle.

"I know there's got to be a first aid kit in there somewhere. There always is," she murmured as the rotund robot suit appeared at full size. Bulma opened the hatch and stepped inside, cranking up the seat to reveal the small medical container. "There you are!" she said, grabbing it. She re-encapsulated the robot suit and put the DynoCap away.

"Alright, I've got to do this quick before anybody comes along," Bulma said. She reset the micro band on Tarble's wrist to unshrink him. As he grew back to normal size, he uttered a groan of pain and seemed to look around groggily, unable to process where he was. "It's alright, Tarble. It's me, Bulma. I'm going to treat your wounds real quick, so hold still," she instructed.

He looked at her with glassy eyes_. "Bulma?"_ he rasped. "Why are you still here? You should've escaped by now."

Bulma narrowed her eyes at him. "_What_? And leave you at the mercy of those chunky sadists? They would've tortured you for Kami knows how long and then eventually killed you!" she retorted, applying a gentle disinfectant to the stripes on his chest.

He winced, but did not cry out.

"Sorry if this hurts. At least it's not as bad as putting alcohol on it," Bulma said, beginning to apply bandages to the open wounds. "Oh, well," she sighed. "It could've been worse. They could've torn off your arms and legs and stabbed you in the brain with a metal spike. At least these injuries can be remedied." She finished with his front and helped him sit up so she could treat the back.

"Thank you, Bulma. I don't know what I would have done. They were trying to glean information from me that I don't even have. I was totally at their mercy, and they had none to give," Tarble explained, wincing every now and again.

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "What kind of information?" she inquired, curiously.

"Something about my father's so-called 'treasure.' I've never heard a thing about it, but they claim that such a thing exists. They wouldn't tell me what made them so sure about it, though," he murmured.

"But your father is dead, isn't he?" Bulma asked.

"Yes, of course. But Abo and Cado thought that he left a treasure behind somewhere far from Planet Vegeta, in case the Vegetan treasury was ever ransacked. But like I said, that theory could be totally false. I've never heard anything about my father hiding a ton of riches away on some other world," he replied. His stomach rumbled. "I'm so hungry," he murmured, shivering a bit.

"I'm sorry, Tarble. I wish I had some food. But these bandages are the best I can do for now," Bulma replied, frowning.

Tarble swallowed a lump in his throat. "I understand. However, my wounds will not heal without nourishment," he conveyed. "We've got to get off of this ship somehow, or we're done for."

Bulma gritted her teeth. "Oh! If only Goku or Vegeta were here, these guys would be toast. But I don't see how they could ever possibly find us now. I don't even know where we are!" she lamented, plopping down next to him on the crate after she had finished applying the bandages. She pulled her knees in and hid her face in them, feeling miserable.

When she heard Tarble chuckle, she looked up in surprise. "What's so funny?" she inquired, almost indignantly.

"Well," Tarble replied. "It's been a long time since I saw Vegeta last. But if he's anywhere near as clever now as he was when we were kids, then I'm sure he'll find a way to track us down. The real question is will he be here in time to help us?"

Bulma looked skeptical, then even more indignant than before. "Pfft! _Vegeta's not clever_," the Earthling snapped back. She crossed her arms angrily over her chest and huffed.

Tarble raised an eyebrow. "Let me ask you this, Bulma. Have you ever bonded with my brother over anything other than sex?" the Saiyan inquired.

Bulma's eyes popped open and she pondered the question for a moment, unable to think of anything.

Tarble took her silence as an affirmative reply. "Then you don't know him as well as you think," he retorted. "If he chooses to make it a priority, then he will find us. I have no doubt of that."

Bulma swallowed and felt a tear prick at her eye. _"I hope you are right."_


	12. Tarble's Great Escapade

Chapter 12: Tarble's Great Escapade

In the hours after Bulma had humiliated Abo and Cado, thus escaping the Torture Wing with Tarble, the bowels of the ship had become swarmed with guards. From their hiding place inside the cellar crate, Bulma and Tarble were able to gather bits and pieces of information about what was going on outside.

Captain Mareth was furious about his first mate and four other crewmen going AWOL and stealing five escape pods from the _Oblivion_. But his wrath paled in comparison to Abo and Cado's. Once the two brothers had dislodged themselves from the bathroom door and changed into clean uniforms, they were seen stomping around furiously, threatening their inferiors with dismemberment if they failed to find the escapees within five minutes.

As a result, men were running around frantically, compelled by death threat to partake in the search. With three powerful and pissed superiors on the ship, the hapless crewmen were utterly terrified. Bulma almost felt bad for them and had to remind herself that they were all technically ruthless pirates. She stopped peering through the peephole in the side of the crate and leaned back against the wall.

"Any ideas how we might be able to get out of here, Bulma?" Tarble whispered, looking hopeful. "You are the brilliant one, after all."

"We're going to have to wait until the chaos dies down. Until then, we should try to get some sleep. There may be nothing to eat, but at least we can rest," Bulma whispered back. "Just try to keep your power level down so they can't find us."

Tarble nodded, though he was unsure of how to suppress his power level. He tried meditating, partly in hope of forgetting about his ravenous hunger.

Bulma lay down against the hard machinery and did her best to get comfortable. She yawned and closed her eyes. "Mm. If only there was some light in here, I might be able to make another micro band. When I wake up, I'll try to find a light source. Too tired to think right now," she murmured, dozing off.

Tarble remained silent. Because of his injuries, Bulma had been willing to give up the most comfortable spot in the crate for him. However, he was still miserably sore and too hungry to sleep. His stomach rumbled and he put a hand over the bandages on his wounded belly.

Tarble looked at the micro band on his wrist after Bulma had fallen asleep and considered what the Earthling had told him about it. _I may be stiff and sore, but if I don't get something to eat soon, I'm going to pass out and never wake up. With this device, I can make myself small to avoid detection and maybe go looking for the ship's galley. There's got to be food somewhere aboard this hell bound vessel,_ he thought.

He adjusted the setting as Bulma had described and slowly shrank himself down to the size of a black drek. He climbed up onto Bulma's leg, and then up her Saiyan armor onto her shoulder pad, where he was able to reach the peephole she had been gazing through earlier. While he could have flown, he intended to heed Bulma's warning about keeping his power level down, even in his miniaturized state. He poked his head out of the peephole and glanced around.

The floor rumbled as crewmen stomped back and forth through the aisles. They looked to be growing weary themselves, but unable to give up the search on account of Abo and Cado's threats. At an opportune moment, Tarble shimmied through the peephole and jumped like a flea onto the hip protector of one man's Saiyan armor. He maneuvered himself to hide on the underside and peered out to see where the crewman was headed. He would have to memorize the route in order to find his way back to Bulma before she woke up.

The overworked crewman turned out to be mindlessly circling the aisles, only paying lip service to the search so the brothers would not kill him. _Well, this isn't going to get me anywhere, _the Saiyan thought. As Tarble and the space pirate passed by the row of jail cells for the second time, the Prince took the opportunity to jump from his host onto a small crate.

From their initial capture, Tarble remembered where the stairway to the upper level was in proximity to the jail cells. He ran across the crates like city rooftops, jumping and hopping between boxes and over gaps. Finally, after passing about three walkways, he turned right and caught sight of the staircase they had come down while in bondage. Tarble licked his lips. _I know there's got to be food up there somewhere. Once I find the galley, I can eat my fill and even bring some back for Bulma. I know she'll appreciate it, plus she'll be able to think better on a full stomach._

Suddenly Captain Mareth came around the corner unexpectedly. Tarble's face went blue and he ducked behind a crate. The captain stopped mid-aisle and glanced around, then shouted loud orders over his shoulder. "Look alive, men! With the others guarding the escape pods, they have no chance of getting off the ship. We're sure to find them within an hour!"

Captain Mareth turned around, swooping his red cape behind him, and Tarble glanced an opportunity. He ran at the man and leapt onto the back of his Saiyan armor just before the cape flew around to obscure it. The Prince cleverly avoided prying eyes by hiding beneath the cape. He knew the captain of the ship would be privileged to take a break now and again, perhaps to go to the galley for a bite. Soon Tarble felt hopeful as Mareth headed towards the staircase to the upper levels.

As they ascended the staircase, Tarble kept his eyes peeled for anything that might be useful in an escape. Suddenly about five crewmen rushed down the stairwell. "Any word, men?" Mareth inquired as they passed by him.

One of them stopped halfway down the stairs and turned around, giving a salute to the captain. "No, sir. No sign of them yet," he obediently reported.

Captain Mareth rubbed his temples and groaned. "And what of Lords Abo and Cado? Where are they as of right now?"

"They went upstairs to the elite galley to dine, but their moods have not improved at all, especially Lord Cado's. He is not happy about losing the woman, sir," the man admitted, then took a pause. "Are you going to try and talk to them, Captain?"

Captain Mareth shook his head. "No, I'm not going to tempt fate. I don't think there's anything I could say that could possibly calm either of those two down right now. If we're not careful, they'll start carrying out their threats. Judging from their history, no one on this ship is guaranteed safe."

The man nodded. "Good plan, sir."

"Keep looking," Mareth instructed.

"Aye."

Captain Mareth reached the top of the staircase and stepped through the automatic door to the second floor. Tarble had to squint his eyes, as the lighting was much higher quality everywhere on the ship save the cellar. At first it felt way too bright to the miniature Saiyan.

Tarble clung tightly to the back of the captain's armor and climbed over to his hip protector to get a good look around. It was the same hallway that he and Bulma had been dragged down after they had been seized from the Z Commando.

_Maybe our ship is still there. If I can find that button Bulma told me about, I might be able to encapsulate it and sneak away… although that doesn't address the problem of how to escape with it from the _Oblivion._ But maybe Bulma can think of something. She knows more about technology than anyone,_ Tarble thought.

From his hiding spot on the captain's hip protector, Tarble glanced down the hallway. _It's one of those doors far ahead on the right. It looks like that's where this guy is heading. I hope the ship is still in good shape, and not too well guarded._

Captain Mareth paced further down the hall and pressed a button to open an automatic door on the right side. He turned to go inside and crossed the threshold. The first thing Tarble saw put a big frown on his face. The Z Commando was in pieces, taken apart by a group of crewmen under the directions of an engineer. The pint-sized Saiyan hung his shoulders in disappointment.

Upon his entering, all of the workers straightened up and saluted the captain. "At ease," he told them. They all promptly went back to their work. "How are those blueprints coming along, Tanzor?" Captain Mareth inquired.

A withered old alien looking similar to an armadillo approached Mareth. "Very well, Captain. I've made several astounding technological discoveries. Whoever designed this vessel had a great scientific mind indeed. I would love to be partnered with him on a project or two. I'm sure we would have a great deal to learn from each other," the old man reported. "Have you perchance found out who he is?"

Captain Mareth shook his head. "Not until we find the escaped prisoners. Only they would know. Based upon what Lords Abo and Cado reported though, we can be relatively certain that the inventor responsible came from a planet known as Earth. Our databases have very little information about that world, however, so the inventor could be quite difficult to find."

"Indeed," Tanzor replied. "The only indication we could find from the computer systems on the ship was a prominent symbol using double C's. That's not much to go on, so I do hope you find the escapees. I look forward to meeting this great genius."

Captain Mareth chuckled. "Indeed. We had better find them soon for all of our sakes. I don't know how much more patience Lords Abo and Cado have," he said warily.

The conversation between the captain and scientist continued, but Tarble all but went deaf to it after his eyes caught sight of something in the corner of the docking garage—a long table piled with platters of gourmet food. He hopped down from Captain Mareth's hip protector and darted behind a toolbox lying open on the floor.

The scent of food permeated the air and Tarble's mouth watered in anticipation. _So hungry,_ he thought, salivating. _I could eat an animal the size of Nappa, even at this size._ He noted the elongated table had a red tablecloth, which he would be able to hide beneath. The main obstacle was the twenty feet of open space between himself and his target. With many prying eyes and nowhere to hide, it would be a bit of a challenge for him.

Tarble could not even disguise himself as a black drek because he would be blasted for sure if anyone saw one of those scuttling near the food. He glanced around, up, down and all over the vast garage searching for options. When Tanzor turned away, the Saiyan started to back slowly toward the table.

Suddenly Tarble bumped into something and froze. He looked up. It was a crewmate glancing nervously at the captain, and then to the gourmet food on the table. Tarble had backed into his boot. The Prince surmised that the gourmet spread was off limits to anyone of low rank on the ship—not surprising, to say the least. Such fine dining was usually reserved for the higher ranks among space pirates, particularly those formerly associated with Frieza. They were not an egalitarian lot.

Tarble seized the opportunity and jumped onto the hungry crewman's boot, snickering. If anyone were to get caught now, it would not be him but the big green fish-face oaf he was hitching a ride on. As his host tiptoed closer to the table, Tarble kept his eyes on the exquisite finger foods and hors d'oeuvres available.

Just when his destination was no more than four feet away, Tarble suddenly felt his host flinch and utter a strained gasp in his throat. The tiny Saiyan glanced up in surprise, just as an energy beam dissipated from the chest of his now-dead host. Suddenly everyone in the room had eyes on the deceased sneak thief as he fell facedown onto the floor with a loud _Thud!_ The surprised Saiyan was quick to hop to the side so he would not be crushed.

_Absolutely brutal!_ Tarble thought. He overcame his shock and took the opportunity to sneak along the corpse until he reached the lifeless eyes, only a foot away from the leg of the table. He glanced out from behind the dead man's head and waited until every horrified face in the room gradually shifted from the victim to the perpetrator—Captain Mareth. Right when that happened, Tarble made a break for the table leg and hid behind it, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Instead of climbing up the table leg as per his plan, Tarble stared at Mareth in curiosity as the cruel captain's gaze gradually shifted from the fresh corpse to the wide-eyed audience.

"If I or any of my officers catch any of you sneaking food belonging to us, you will be executed. That man knew exactly what he was doing and he chose his own fate. Don't make the same mistake as him because you _will not_ live to tell the tale," Mareth warned. When the crewmen continued to stare in horror, the captain suddenly barked, "Back to work, you slugs!"

They all jumped in fear and promptly went back to their duties, ignoring the dead body on the ground entirely. Captain Mareth went back to talking with the unfazed engineer. Tarble scratched his head at the oddness of it all and started to climb up the table leg. He jumped like a flea to the silky tablecloth and climbed up onto the tabletop, ducking behind a bowl of exotic fruits just as Mareth glanced over.

As soon as the captain's attention was again diverted, Tarble started to pig out, stuffing fruit, breads, and pieces of cured meat into his mouth at a breakneck pace. He crammed so much down his throat at once that he had to pound on his bruised chest to force it all down, making his eyes water from the pain.

But with his hunger as great as it was, that was nowhere near enough to stop him. The first time that Abo and Cado had beaten Tarble to a pulp was the only other time he could remember ever being this hungry—and that was a couple of years ago. Once he had gotten out of the Rejuvenation Tank, he had felt like there was a black hole forming in the pit of his stomach.

Tarble and Gure had barely enough time to fill up on some tasteless freeze-dried cuisine left behind by the planet's former inhabitants before Abo and Cado arrived and they were forced to flee yet again. If he was totally honest with himself, Tarble had not had a single decent meal with his mate since before the arrival of Abo and Cado on Furutsu.

The Saiyan Prince sorely missed the romantic, candlelit dinners and beautiful evenings together watching the Furutisian sun descend on the gleaming, multi-colored horizon. Reminiscing on the past reminded him of Furutsu's horrible fate and he felt a tear prick at the back of his eye. He held it back and kept eating, determined to survive this madness and make it back to Gure somehow.

…

The Ox King waited nervously to hear back from the doctor. By the time the nurse finally called for him, he was near sweating bullets. He stood up shakily and followed her back to the doctor's private office. When he got there, the room was deserted.

"_What?"_ the Ox King cried. "Where is he?"

The nurse giggled. "Calm down, sir. Dr. Bulberry will be along in a minute. He's just finishing up with a patient. Please take a seat and get comfortable," she said, leaving him alone in the empty office.

The Ox King sighed and sat down on the plush chair in front of the doctor's desk, anxiously twiddling his thumbs and looking around the pristine space. _Dr. Bulberry must be a neat freak,_ he thought. He noticed a few different odd-looking items decoratively displayed upon the doctor's desk and reached forward to examine them. One was a bird's nest with fake eggs, painted with Easter colors.

Suddenly the Ox King heard the doorknob turning and jumped a foot in the air, nearly scattering the eggs all over the room. He used his keen martial arts skills to catch them gracefully in the nest and return the nest to its rightful location—all before the doctor even appeared in the doorway.

Dr. Bulberry came in with a wide smile on his face and glanced at his clipboard. "Mr. Ox King, I take it?" he said, strolling over to shake the giant's hand.

The Ox King stood up to receive him. "That's right, Doc. It's nice to meet you. I've got something important I need to talk to you about so I'm glad you were able to come." After they finished shaking hands, the doctor moved to the other side of his desk and sat down facing the Ox King. "You see, Dr. Bulberry," the horned sire began, "I'm worried about my daughter."

Dr. Bulberry smiled. "Oh, I don't think there's really anything to be worried about, Mr. Ox King. It's not unusual at all for women to have false alarms like this in the third trimester. Granted, they can be rather frightening, but abnormal they are not."

"No, no," the Ox King replied, glancing around warily. "There's a… _situation_ at home that I'm afraid may cause my daughter much distress if she finds out about it in her condition. Chi Chi is very prone to overreacting to things, especially when they involve her son Gohan," he explained in a low tone.

Dr. Bulberry blinked. "I see," he said, leaning forward with interest. "And what is this situation that you are afraid might be distressing to your daughter?"

The Ox King took a breath. "My grandson has gone with his father to find a missing friend of ours. It could be dangerous and that type of thing really makes my daughter panic. It's even worse considering that they both snuck off without asking Chi Chi for permission to go. I don't know how long they'll be gone exactly, maybe a week or two? Gohan was polite enough to leave a note trying to reassure her that everything would be okay, but I know from experience that will be no consolation to my Chi Chi."

Dr. Bulberry thought for a minute, processing the information he had just been offered. "And what precisely did you want me to do about this?" he inquired. "As a medical professional, I really can't get involved in my patients' private lives. As much as it frustrates me at times."

The Ox King scratched his bearded chin. "Is there any way you can keep my daughter in the hospital until they get back? I mean it _is_ for her own good. I wish her husband and son hadn't run off like that, but they did and now I have to deal with the fallout. If Chi Chi almost went into premature labor when she thought everything was perfectly fine, then imagine what'll happen if she has a panic attack. Knowing her, she might even try to find them and she's in no condition to run off on crazy adventures! What do you say, Doc? Can you help me out?" he pled, looking hopeful.

The doctor was taken aback. "Mr. Ox King, do you realize what you are asking me to do? Your daughter doesn't require a lengthy period of hospitalization and to keep her here with no medical need is considered a form of malpractice. I could lose my medical license if any of the nurses or other doctors were to report me. Plus, her insurance simply won't cover unnecessary medical expenses," he explained.

"The insurance isn't an issue! I'll pay for it out of pocket if I have to. Please, Doctor!" the Ox King begged.

Dr. Bulberry rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ox King. I just can't do it. It wouldn't be right or legal."

The Ox King's face fell. "S-so… there's nothing you can do? But what if my daughter faints or goes into premature labor for real? She and the baby could get hurt! If something bad happened to either one of them, I'd never forgive myself!" he cried, getting down on his knees in front of the doctor's desk.

Dr. Bulberry leaned back in his chair and analyzed the situation. "Well, it's true that stress can be very bad for a pregnant woman. If money really isn't an issue as you suggested earlier then perhaps I can _advise_ your daughter to take a vacation. You can tell her that you will housesit for her and keep things running smoothly at home while she takes some time off to relax. It could be very beneficial for her, now that I think about it. In fact, there is a reputable pregnancy retreat right off the coast, but I warn you—it is _very_ expensive."

The Ox King jumped up from the floor. "That's a great idea, Doc! Why didn't I think of that myself? I'll go back to the house to pack up for her and book her a flight to paradise tonight! Oh thank you, Dr. Bulberry! Thank you so much! Oh, but wait, she might not want to go alone. I should send a friend of hers with her to keep her company. Oh, darn. Bulma would have been a perfect choice. But maybe her mother would like to go instead! I'm going to go ask Mrs. Briefs right away. Thank you, Doc!"

"Sure," the doctor replied. "But don't schedule the flight until after eight tonight. We were hoping to monitor her for a while longer. By the way, let me get you a brochure for the place. It has wonderful accommodations. I'm sure Mrs. Son will be very happy there." Dr. Bulberry opened a drawer in his desk and rummaged through it.

The Ox King could hardly contain himself. "Right, Doc! Of course, Doc! I'll follow all of your advice. I'll be back to pick her up around eight like you said. See you then!" he said excitedly.

Dr. Bulberry stood up, handed the giant a brochure, and then shook his hand again. "I'm glad to see your main concern is your daughter's safety. At first you had me a little worried that you might just be trying to cover up a lie so you wouldn't have to face the consequences," he expressed, laughing at the asinine suspicion.

The Ox King took the brochure and rubbed the back of his neck nervously with his free hand. "N-no, of course not. That's something only a kid would do, not a mature father figure like me," he replied, echoing the doctor's laughter. "No, siree. I've got my priorities straight, alright."

"Good, good, Mr. Ox King. I'm glad to hear it," Dr. Bulberry said. "Let's plan to break the good news to your daughter together just before we discharge her—when you get back, of course."

"Sounds great to me, Doc. I'll be on my way now," the Ox King replied, leaving through the door. As soon as he was outside in the hall, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Whew! Looks like things just might work out for old grandpa after all," he whispered to himself, giving a sigh of relief.

He stopped for a minute in the corridor and opened the brochure. Suddenly every hair on his body became electrified. _Yikes! That _is_ a steep price! _he thought, sweat beading up his forehead again. Then his shoulders drooped. _But I guess I have no choice. Anyhow, nothing's too good for my little girl._ He paused. _Goku and Gohan, you two better get back soon or I'm going to end up in the poorhouse!_

…

After stuffing himself for a good half hour, Tarble finally began to feel full. Even his lash marks did not hurt so much any more. He sat down rubbing his bloated belly and gave a quiet sigh of satisfaction. _Wow! I feel so much better. Now all I have to do is find a way to smuggle enough food back for Bulma. It sure is a good thing that humans have such small appetites,_ he thought, glancing around for ideas on how to accomplish this latest feat.

He peered through one of the holes in a big chunk of Ventrilican red cheese, spying on the occupants of the huge garage. The men were still busy disassembling the Z Commando and Captain Mareth had thankfully left the room to see to other duties. Even the aged scientist Tanzor was preoccupied with overseeing the labor, taking measurements, and examining bits of equipment. What the Saiyan needed was a route for sneaking as much food out of the room as possible without being seen.

Tarble spotted a ventilation shaft on the ceiling, but it was far too high up. If he tried to fly, there was a good chance someone in the room would see him. The Prince backed up and peered down the wall behind the table.

"Bingo!" Tarble said, glimpsing another vent conveniently hidden by the tablecloth. He would have to remove the metal panel to get food through by pulling out the screws, so he hopped down and grabbed a hold of a length of the grill. He climbed to the first screw on the top left and began turning it loose by hand using his Saiyan strength.

He placed each loose screw quietly on the tabletop to avoid alerting the crew. Once he had removed the last screw, the panel pulled loose from the wall. Tarble gently lowered it to the ground and peered inside the ventilation shaft. The dark tunnel had small areas of light where other vents were located, both in the outside hallway and in other areas along the garage wall.

_Perfect!_ Tarble thought. He climbed back up onto the tabletop and hauled one large piece of alien fruit down to the open vent at a time, stashing each one safely inside the tunnel before returning for another. Once he had collected all of the fruit, he wrapped an apple-sized bundle of cured meats together in a napkin and loaded it into the shaft as well. He had to gather about ten bundles before he had cleaned the table of the rare delicacy. The only things left were Archovian tarts, Zarik icebird eggs, some nuts and legumes, and an array of sliced vegetables with dipping sauce.

Tarble took everything but the veggies, as they were placed toward the front of the table and were too visible to the crewmen. Once the ventilation shaft was stuffed full of exotic delicacies, Tarble knew it would be best to cover his tracks. He yanked one of the metal grills on the vent panel open so he would be able to crawl through and then went about screwing the vent cover back onto the wall. Once he finished, he slipped through the open grill and bent it back to its normal position.

_Success!_ Tarble thought, doing a little dance of victory. "Ooh, ouch!" he murmured, holding onto his injured sides. "Shouldn't have done that. Still sore," he chastised himself, wincing. Once the pain subsided, the Prince looked down the clear side of the ventilation shaft. Before he could haul the food down the tunnel with him, he knew he would need to scout out a route to an open vent near Bulma's hiding place.

_Good thing I have a decent sense of direction,_ Tarble thought, beginning the jog down the vent shaft. He glanced back over his shoulder. "You wait there, lovely victuals. I'll be _right_ back," he said, breaking into a sprint. He darted down the dark tunnel, stopping to check his location at every other vent or so. Every now and again he had to hop over a chasm leading downwards into the cellar. Once he reached the tenth vent or so, he finally caught sight of the door leading to the lower level.

_Great! Now I just have to go down one of the vertical shafts and find my way to the storage crate Bulma's hiding in. I bet she'll be really happy about having something to eat! I don't think I'll ever be able to repay her enough for saving me, but I can certainly try,_ Tarble thought, walking up to the edge of another downward shaft. "Well, this one is as good as any. Here goes," he said, jumping down into the deep, dark pit.

He hopped from side to side down the tunnel, feeling his way along with his Saiyan intuition despite the consuming darkness. Of course, he knew he could make an energy ball to illuminate the shaft, but Bulma had clearly warned him to keep his energy level to a minimum by refraining from Ki use.

To Tarble's relief, there appeared to be a vent close to the bottom of the tunnel shedding some light on the ground. It allowed him to land gracefully and he darted over to the nearest vent to peer out. _Ah! I can see almost everything, _he thought, peering down at the rows piled with crates from a bird's eye view. The space pirates were still swarming, marching around and doing their rounds searching the cellar for him and Bulma. Tarble spotted the captain speaking with another crewmember and decided to listen in.

"Alright, Seth. I'll appoint you as my new first mate for now since there is no one else more qualified at the time. But I expect you to perform the job to the very best of your abilities. A first mate aboard the _Oblivion_ has a very important role, I hope you realize," Captain Mareth lectured.

"Yes, Captain. Of course! I will take this honor very seriously and do my best to serve your every need," the man replied, removing his helmet graciously and kneeling before his superior. Tarble discovered that the new first mate looked remarkably like a human. He had a square jaw, emerald-green eyes, spiked blond hair, and stood a little over six feet in height. In other words, he was a pretty boy.

Tarble thought little of the captain's new favorite other than making a note to keep an eye on him. The Saiyan's gaze turned away from the pair and began to analyze the layout of the huge room. While the ceiling was not particularly high, the cellar itself made up quite a vast area.

Tarble spotted the staircase to the upper level and glanced back to the far wall the car-sized crates were piled against. He knew the one on the corner with the tiny peephole was the one containing Bulma. Smuggling all the food down there would not be easy with the huge search party occupying the cellar.

Tarble knew if he could somehow attract the search party elsewhere, it would be a lot easier to get the food down to the Earthling. One of the vents conveniently hung down from the ceiling right over the target crate. All Tarble had to do to get there was move another twenty or so feet straight ahead, take a right turn, go another twenty feet, take a left, and up ahead would be the vertical drop to the target vent.

_First things first, _Tarble thought. _I've got to haul all the food as close to Bulma's crate as possible. Once that is done, then I can worry about how to distract or get rid of the pirates long enough to get the food to her._ He glanced back up the vertical shaft that he had just come down, and took a great leap back up, hopping nimbly from side to side until he reached the top.

He had to make about ten trips from the garage vent to the cellar vent before all the food had been transported. He sat down on a piece of fruit atop the pile of victuals and rubbed his eyes. _Aw, great. Now I'm tired. How long has it been since I last slept? It has to have been at least forty-eight hours or more._ He yawned deeply. _But I can't sleep here. If Bulma wakes up and finds me gone, she'll flip out. I can't do that to her after all she's done for me._

Suddenly Tarble heard strange echoes in the ventilation shaft. They sounded like shuffling, or scurrying. He listened carefully and realized that they seemed to be getting closer. Suddenly he jumped up. _Oh, no! If that's what I think it is…_

Numerous pairs of glowing green eyes appeared in the dark shaft several yards down, rapidly approaching.

"No! Shoo! Stay away, you pests! This food isn't for you!" Tarble snapped, blocking the dreks' path and brandishing a fist to scare them away. They kept coming regardless until they were less than a foot away from him.

There were hundreds of them. Tarble figured they must have followed the scent of the food all the way from somewhere on the upper level. When one of them tried to jump over his head right into the pile of food, Tarble punched it in midair and sent it flying past the others. "See? That's what you get when you try to steal a Saiyan's food! Stay back or I'll break all of your scrawny little necks!" he threatened.

The reptilian vermin were unfazed by the threats. Tarble growled low in his throat. _Darn it! I've got to somehow get rid of them without using my Ki so they won't eat everything. Plus, I've got to try to do it without making too much noise or those thugs down there will figure out something is going on in the ceiling vent shaft. _The Prince gritted his teeth as he faced off with the army of dreks. _This is not going to be easy._

…

As Vegeta prepared to leave for the war council, he heard a strange buzzing sound in his private suite. He glanced around the bedroom in confusion and followed the noise over to the storage closet. He pressed the button to open the automatic door and found the pile of luggage that the servants had packed for him.

"Ah, the spacesuits from Capsule Corp," Vegeta said, observing what the servants had collected from his palace chambers. "I ought to remember to thank Bauble for being so thorough in his packing." He rummaged through the three hefty outfits and discovered that the buzzing sound was coming from the transmitter in one of the suits. He pulled it out of the helmet and put it to his ear.

"Goku? Gure? Anyone? Someone please pick up!" came the frantic voice of Dr. Briefs.

Vegeta turned on the speaker. "What do you want, old man?" the Prince impatiently inquired, tapping his foot on the floor.

"Oh, thank goodness! Is that you, Vegeta? What happened? Are you still searching for signs of the ship that took my daughter? I admire your determination, but I'm surprised Goku hasn't gotten hungry yet!" the Capsule Corp scientist remarked.

"No, we're not still looking. We know where Bulma and Tarble have been taken, so we are going there now in a Pellucian warship. It will take a few days to get there," the Saiyan explained.

"Oh, thank Kami! That's such a relief." The old man paused. "Tell me honestly, Vegeta. What do you think the chances are that Bulma is going to be alright? This not knowing thing is driving me crazy. Her mother and I are worrying ourselves sick!" the grieving father decried.

"Reassuring you is not my job, old man. But if you must know, I think there's a fairly good chance that we will find her alive," Vegeta said.

Dr. Briefs seemed to give a sigh of relief.

"However," the Saiyan added, making Dr. Briefs hold his breath on the other end of the line, "just because she might be alive does not necessarily mean that she'll okay. You wanted a straight answer and you've now received it. Now I'll go get these other transmitters to Kakarott so you can contact him directly. Perhaps he can fill you in on the details." Vegeta hurriedly gathered the devices from the other suits.

Dr. Briefs took a big gulp before replying. "Wh-what do you think c-could possibly happen to her out there?" he inquired hesitantly.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Why don't you look at a photo of her pretty face and take a wild guess. I've got a war council to attend and no more time to waste with you, old man," he said bluntly, about to turn the device off.

"Wait, wait!" the doctor cried. "There's just one more thing!"

"_What?"_ the Prince spat, irritated.

"The Ox King called earlier and said that Chi Chi is in the hospital. Please let Goku and Gohan know as soon as possible!" Dr. Briefs exclaimed.

"You could've told them that yourself," Vegeta snapped. "Now stop wasting my time!" He promptly turned the transmitter off and strode out into the hallway. The guards Feldspar and Peridot stationed in front of the royal's suite dutifully began to follow him.

"Your Highness, King Chrystla wishes to meet with you privately after the war council is dismissed," Feldspar reported. "Would you be interested in joining him for dinner?" the guard inquired.

"Certainly," the Prince replied. "I'm always honored to dine with my Pellucian friends," he said, turning a corner.

"Excellent. His Majesty will be very pleased to…" Feldspar began, but gasped when Goku, Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, and Piccolo appeared before them, forcing the royal trio to come to a grinding halt.

Vegeta's eyes shot open in surprise. He saw his royal guards tense and quickly gestured for them to relax. "Kakarott, just what do you think you're doing?" the Prince snapped.

"Hi, Vegeta! Here we are, as promised!" Goku replied, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as usual.

"You shouldn't be bringing the Earthlings to the Royal Wing. They aren't allowed here. Only you are because you're my Second-in-Command. And of course I make an exception for your offspring as it is your job to supervise him," the Prince expressed, folding his arms across his chest. Feldspar and Peridot seemed to be fairly discombobulated by the sudden development.

"Oh, really? Sorry, Vegeta. I didn't know. I was hoping you could show us the way to the conference room. This ship is really big and it's easy to get lost," Goku explained, sheepishly putting a hand behind his head and rubbing the back of his neck.

Vegeta suppressed a groan. "I'll tell you what. Peridot here will show you the way. I'm supposed to come in through a different entrance than the general public as per Pellucian tradition, so I cannot accompany you personally," he explained. He turned around and gave the order to Peridot in the guard's native tongue.

"Say… what language is that, Vegeta?" Krillin inquired. "I've never heard anything like it before."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "It's called Pelluci, the official language of Pellucid. What do you care anyway, cueball?"

Krillin shrugged. "Just curious, I guess. Oh, and one more thing, Vegeta. Where did you get that new armor?" the short Earthling asked, scratching his bald head.

"It looks neat!" Gohan chimed. "I like the cape and the white jumpsuit."

Vegeta ignored Gohan and answered Krillin's question. "I ordered it from Pellucian armor engineers. I'm sure Kakarott can tell you all about that. He's requested one as well. Now if you don't mind, we all need to get to the council chamber at on…" he began, but was cut off yet again.

"Goku's getting one? Then can I get one too? It looks really comfortable and stylish!" Krillin eagerly said.

Vegeta huffed. "You can order one for yourself, but you'll have to pay for it," the royal decreed. "And it won't come cheap, not even _after_ the design has gone into mass production."

Krillin frowned. "Well where did Goku get the money for one? He doesn't even have a job!"

"He's a Saiyan, you fool. He gets his free," Vegeta snapped.

Krillin's jaw dropped in indignation. "No fair! Why should he get one for free just because he's a Saiyan? You don't even like him!" the Earthling accused.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "My feelings toward Kakarott are irrelevant. He is currently serving the Crown, which entitles him to free military supplies by Saiyan law."

Before Krillin could start ranting about how 'Saiyan law' was obsolete, Yamcha randomly chimed in. "What's that funny red anchor symbol on your chest?" the tall Z fighter inquired, pointing to Vegeta's left breastplate.

"My family emblem, moron. By Kami, don't you clowns have anything better to do than interrogate me all day? You are going to make us all late for the war council!" Vegeta snapped, pushing a path through the group of Earthlings. "Feldspar, shim shim!" he called.

Feldspar hurried after the Prince, while Peridot stayed behind to lead Goku's party to the council chamber. Suddenly Vegeta stopped in midstride and spun back around. "Oh, Kakarott. I almost forgot." He tossed the Earth Saiyan the two other transmitters that he had pulled out of the Capsule Corp spacesuits. "Dr. Briefs needs you to contact him later because he has something important to tell you. But I suggest you wait until after the council is dismissed. See you upstairs," the royal said, turning on a heel and leaving. Again, Felspar followed.

Goku caught the transmitters gracefully. "Thanks, Vegeta!" he called after the Prince, waving goodbye. He looked at the devices in his hand. "Ah, he even remembered to get Gure's. That was nice of him."

The remaining guard gestured for the Earthlings to follow with a wave of his hand, and they did, somewhat reluctantly.

"Gee, Vegeta seems to really be in a rush these days. He can't even spare a moment to answer a few simple questions," Gohan whined, crossing his arms. "Too bad, cause I was pretty curious myself. What did he mean by family emblem? Do we have a family emblem, Dad?"

Goku shrugged. "I don't know but I can ask him later if you want. But, yeah, I agree about Vegeta being too busy. I miss the old days when I could get in a good sparring session with him nearly every day. Sometimes we would even spend all day training together in the gravity room or wilderness," the Earth Saiyan lamented. "At the time I thought it would last forever." He looked down at his feet as he continued to walk.

"Meh," Yamcha replied. "I'm just thankful that Vegeta's preoccupied with something other than trying to take over Earth or the rest of the universe. They say that boredom can be a breeding ground for evil, so at least we don't have that to worry about," he remarked, giving a small chuckle.

Krillin rolled his eyes. "I _would_ agree with you, Yamcha, if Vegeta hadn't developed a penchant for stealing kids. Other than that, and the fact that he's still an arrogant prick, I'd say he's gotten a lot better than when we first met him."

Yamcha rolled his eyes back at Krillin. "If it's his kid, then who cares? I sure don't," the taller Earthling replied. "Besides, I heard the kid was born with a tail. Who wants some giant ape rampaging about on the full moon? I'm glad Vegeta took him."

Krillin rounded on Yamcha. "So the truth finally comes out, huh?" the former monk accused. "I'll bet you think it serves Bulma right since she left you for Vegeta. Admit it, Yamcha, you're holding a grudge against Bulma!"

Goku jumped between the two humans. "Woah, guys! Calm down. This is all old history. There's no need to bring it up. It's over and done with."

Yamcha put a hand to Goku's chest, holding him back. "Just so you know, Krillin, the break up between Bulma and I was entirely mutual. I don't harbor any negative feelings towards her about it. If I did, I wouldn't have come on this mission to rescue her. How _dare_ you accuse me of such a thing! I may not have always had the most respectable lifestyle as far as being a desert bandit, but I do respect women and their choices. Always have, always will!"

Peridot stopped walking and turned around to watch the strange argument develop, with a raised eyebrow.

"If you guys really want to argue about this, you'll have to wait until after the meeting with King Chrystla and Vegeta," Goku decreed, pushing them apart again. "But if you ask me, I think it's silly. Who cares how Yamcha and Bulma broke up, Krillin? It's none of our business. Now let's go!" he said, gesturing to Peridot to continue leading them to the council chamber.

Peridot nodded and started walking again, as did the others. An awkward silence developed between the Z fighters. Yamcha and Krillin walked with their heads down and their hands in their pockets, feeling the tension rise awkwardly. Gohan observed that they both seemed to avoid eye contact with each other all the way to the war council chamber.

…...

Tarble clashed with the army of black dreks, using his superior strength and speed to keep the nasty creatures at bay. He was not sure how long he could keep up the defense, however. He had bigger fish to fry than pest control and this pint-sized battle was eating up his time and energy.

Suddenly a rumbling shook the ventilation shaft, nearly knocking Tarble off of his feet. The drek army squealed in terror and scattered as Tarble ran over to the open vent and peered out to see what had caused the uproar.

Abo and Cado had appeared in the cellar, raving mad. "Don't tell me you pathetic idiots haven't found the prisoners yet! We're sick and tired of waiting. You fools aren't even making a real effort to find them and you will all pay for your incompetence!" the blue brother snarled, aiming an energy beam at one of the terrified crewmembers. The man was disintegrated in a fraction of an instant.

Tarble glanced back at the drek army as they rounded back towards the pile of food. _This is the perfect opportunity while Abo and Cado are down there terrorizing the crew. They'll be too distracted to scout for my energy level while those two are throwing a fit._ The Saiyan Prince turned around and prepared his own attack on the pesky dreks trying to steal Bulma's meal.

"Uzi Deathshot 4000!" Tarble shouted, blasting the crowd of black dreks with a powerful concentrated energy beam. The first hundred in the front were vaporized instantly, but another legion of dreks followed after them. Tarble repeated the attack three more times until he was sure there were no more dreks coming down the tunnel.

He glanced out of the vent again and saw that the chaos below was still going on. Suddenly Tarble's heart stopped in his chest when he saw Cado crush one of the storage crates out of sheer anger. "Find them now or you're all going to die!" he shrieked, preparing to aim a blast of energy at an entire row of the crates.

_Oh, no!_ Tarble thought. _If they start destroying crates, they might destroy the one Bulma's in! What am I going to do? I have to think of something fast! Geez, it's just one problem after another. When will ever life cut me a break?_ He sighed.

Suddenly a light bulb illuminated in the depths of the Saiyan's mind. "I've got it! I'll go to the upper level and create a distraction, then shrink myself back down and disappear before anyone can catch me! They'll abandon the search in the cellar and start seeking us out on the upper levels. Then I can sneak back here and get the food to Bulma. I just hope no more of those nasty pests show up again while I'm not here to defend the food," he murmured to himself.

But before this plan could be carried out, a new development occurred in the chaotic scene below. Captain Mareth's new first mate ran down the stairs into the cellar and leapt on top of a crate. "Everybody, listen to me! Stop everything you're doing! Lords Abo and Cado? We have good news. We are sure the prisoners are still aboard the vessel, but they have escaped from the cellar. Some food from the upper level has gone missing. They must be somewhere on the second floor! Everybody head upstairs right now to continue the search and we'll post guards at every door to the cellar to make sure they can't sneak back down!" Seth declared loudly. Abo and Cado's anger left their faces and they looked perturbed.

Tarble's jaw dropped as all the pirates did as the first mate instructed and began to rush, two by two, up the stairwell to the upper level. It was just too good to be true. _You… you've _got _to be kidding me. Just like that? Wow, they must've discovered the table that I raided in the landing garage. Good thing I thought to cover my tracks! They probably don't even know that I've shrunken myself,_ he thought euphorically.

As soon as the cellar was cleared of pirates, Tarble kicked out the downward facing vent over Bulma's crate, hopped down, unshrunk himself and lifted the top off. The first thing he saw was Bulma huddled into a fetal position, shaking and crying. She yelped when the crate was opened. "Don't hurt me, please!" she cried.

"Bulma! It's just me, Tarble. I snuck away with the micro band to find food. I have some hidden up in the vent overhead for you," he explained, shooting a glance up at the ceiling shaft. "I'll be right back. Let me get it."

"T-Tarble?" Bulma murmured as he gently put the top of the crate back down.

"I'll be right back," Tarble said. He flew up to the open vent, reached inside, and gathered all of the food into his arms. It was not a huge meal, hardly even a snack by Saiyan standards, but it would be enough to stay a human's hunger for sure. He returned to the crate just as a still-trembling Bulma peeking out cautiously. He offered her the food. "Hungry?" he inquired. "We'll need that brain of yours working at top capacity if we're going to get out of here in one piece."

Bulma sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes as she picked up a piece of fruit. "Th-thank Kami, Tarble. I was asleep and then suddenly the whole crate starting shaking and I could hear what was going on outside. I was afraid those gumball freaks were going to destroy all the crates down here and me along with them. And when I realized you were gone, I totally panicked."

"Heh," Tarble replied. "Sorry about that. I used your clever micro band invention to go in search of food. As you can see, the venture was successful."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "You're giving me _all_ the food? But you've got to be famished yourself. You're a Saiyan, after all!"

"Oh, I was, but I already stuffed myself when I was the size of a mouse. Now that I'm big again, I'm surprised that I still feel full. This invention of yours is really neat!" Tarble exclaimed.

Bulma suddenly smiled. "Thanks, Tarble. I certainly wouldn't have been able to rescue you from those creeps without it, that's for sure," she admitted.

"Do you think you might be able to find enough parts around here to make another one of these things? I'm thinking that if we can both be small at the same time, it'll be a lot easier to escape from this awful pirate ship without getting caught," Tarble explained, taking the band off and handing it to Bulma.

"Perhaps… That's actually a great idea! I'll have to find all the necessary parts though. This could take awhile, maybe up to a few days. I invented this a long time ago so I hardly remember how it works, to be honest. But I suppose as long as we can stay hidden for long enough, there is hope," Bulma replied.

"Oh!" Tarble said, snapping a finger. "I also wanted to let you know that I found the Z Commando. We won't be able to use it because the crew has taken it apart to learn about its technology. But I'm sure we'll think of something, especially with you here. You're brilliant!"

"Thank you, Tarble," Bulma said, biting into a juicy piece of purple-spotted, pair-shaped fruit. "Mm. This is delicious. I wonder what it's called. I've never tasted anything like it before."

"I can't identify the fruit, but I do know what a few of these other things are," Tarble replied. He tore the top off of one of the smaller crates in the room and put all the food on top of it as a sort of makeshift plate. He handed the 'plate' to Bulma. "Anyway, it's all tasty and will help you recover your strength."

Bulma happily dug in, scarfing the exotic tarts, cheeses, meats, and fruit with fervor. "Thanks for going to all this trouble for me, Tarble," she said after swallowing a large mouthful. "I really appreciate it. I know we humans don't eat much, but I'm pretty famished!" she conceded, taking another big bite of fruit.

"No problem. Well, now that I'm not hungry anymore, I feel just about ready to collapse. I can't even remember the last time I got to sleep," Tarble replied, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

Bulma stopped chewing for a second. "Yeah, Tarb. Your eyes look pretty red. But, hey, your body is looking better. How do you feel?" she inquired.

"Way better after eating. It doesn't hurt nearly as much. I think as long as I get some good rest I should heal up pretty quickly," Tarble said.

Bulma glanced around. "Well once I'm done eating, would you help me move things around? Since we're going to be stranded here until I can make the new micro band, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make our hideout more accommodating. Maybe we can find something to sleep comfortably on in the other crates and get started taking apart some of the unnecessary equipment in here to make more room for ourselves," she suggested.

"Great idea! I'll do most of the moving. Some of this stuff is bound to be heavy. I'll get started searching for anything we can use for bedding right now. Take your time with your meal. There's no use in getting a stomach ache," Tarble suggested, helping Bulma climb out of the crate.

She sat down on the top of the crate to eat comfortably, watching Tarble as he began to rummage through the other boxes.

…...

When Chi Chi woke up from several hours of sleep in the maternity ward, the first thing she saw was her father's face smiling down at her. "Dad?" she rasped, rubbing her eyelids. "What… what happened?"

"You don't remember? You were having some painful contractions so I brought you to the hospital. They gave you drugs to make them stop. Do you feel better now, honey?" the Ox King inquired. He moved aside and Chi Chi caught sight of Mrs. Briefs with a big bouquet of flowers.

"Hiya, Chi Chi! I thought I'd bring you some flowers from my garden as a get-well gift. Your father says you gave him quite a scare, sweetie," the blond woman chirped happily, placing the flowers on Chi Chi's bedside table. "Oh, but I'm so excited about our vacation together! It's been a long time since I've gotten to spend any quality time with my favorite girlfriends. We'll have so much fun, just the two of us!"

Chi Chi looked confused. "Va… vacation?" she murmured, sitting up slowly and placing a hand on her swollen abdomen.

"That's right, honey," the Ox King chimed. "Doctor's orders. We think you've been under too much stress lately so I'm sending you and Mrs. Briefs off to a specialty pregnancy spa and retreat on a secluded island for a week or two. Don't worry about Gohan and Goku, I'll housesit for you and take care of everything at home. Your plane leaves in about an hour, so up and at 'em! We've got you all packed and ready to go."

Dr. Bulberry pushed a wheelchair into the room. "Feeling better, Mrs. Son? It looks like you're ready to be discharged. Do you need any help getting up, ma'am?" he inquired, wheeling the chair over to her bedside. Mrs. Briefs and the Ox King moved aside to make way for the wheel chair.

Chi Chi scooted her legs until they hung over the side of the bed and put a hand to her head. "H-hold on, this is all happening so fast. I'm confused," she uttered, glancing around groggily.

"What's wrong, Mrs. Son? Are you still in pain?" Dr. Bulberry inquired, prepared to re-examine his patient if need be.

"N-no," Chi Chi hesitantly replied. "I feel better, I really do. But…"

"But what, honey?" the Ox King inquired, wiping a bead of sweat away from his brow. "If you feel okay, then what are you confused about?"

"Well, _Dad_, I can't just drop everything and go on vacation," Chi Chi asserted, rising slowly to her feet and placing a supportive hand on her lower back. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Briefs, but I have responsibilities at home, a family to take care of." She drew her brows together. "Whose crazy idea was this anyway? What about Goku and Gohan? They need me, Dad!"

The Ox King reached forward. "Now, Chi Chi, think of the baby. Goku and Gohan are a lot more independent than you think, plus I'll be there to housesit for you. I'll keep tabs on Gohan and make sure he does all his homework. I promise."

Chi Chi rounded on him. "But, Dad, you're not a housewife! You can't cook and clean and…"

Dr. Bulberry put up a hand to silence Chi Chi. "Mrs. Son, your father has a point. His only concern is the safety and health of yourself and your child. You've simply been under too much stress lately," he explained. "And it greatly concerns us both."

"That's right," the Ox King chimed. "You're right about having responsibilities, but you've got to straighten out your priorities, sweetie. Your biggest responsibility right now is taking care of that little baby in your belly. Stress can be very bad during a pregnancy. I'm begging you for the sake of my unborn grandson. Take Dr. Bulberry's advice. Please, Chi Chi!" the Ox King begged, getting down on his knees.

Chi Chi's face relaxed some and she sighed. "Well, I guess if Dr. Bulberry really thinks I should…"

The Ox King, Mrs. Briefs, and Dr. Bulberry all nodded in unison.

Mrs. Briefs giggled. "Believe me, Chi Chi, you're making the right decision. I was hesitant about going on vacation too cause I've been oh-so worried about my Bulma. But my husband told me that sitting around the house and worrying will do nothing for my complexion, and it certainly won't help my daughter get home any sooner. And you know what? He was right. So here I am. Besides, when Bulma gets back, I don't want to be there to greet her with stress wrinkles all over my face!" the ditzy woman exclaimed, putting a hand to each cheek. "That would be awful!"

Chi Chi blinked in a confused manner. "Well, okay… but isn't it dangerous to travel on a plane in the third trimester, Dr. Bulberry?" she suddenly inquired, turning to the doctor with wide, concerned eyes.

The Ox King shook his head and clicked his tongue at his daughter. "Chi Chi, Chi Chi, Chi Chi… do you really think you know better than a trained medical professional? It's a very short plane ride, sweetie. I promise you will be safe."

"How short?" Chi Chi inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Thirty minutes," Dr. Bulberry chimed. "It's a small island just off the shore with quite a reputable retreat and spa for women who are expecting, just like you."

The Ox King smiled. "That's right, honey. You'll have the best time of your life, I promise. So do you think you might be ready to go yet?" he asked, suddenly looking rather hopeful.

"We're going straight to the airport from here?" Chi Chi inquired skeptically.

The Ox King nodded. "That's right. You've got first class seats and an attendant with a wheelchair will be at the curb to pick you up."

Chi Chi's face softened at the news. "You… you really went to all this trouble for me, Dad?" she murmured.

"Of course. You're my little girl, Chi Chi. I'll take care of everything at home. Don't you dare worry about a thing!" her father warned, wagging a finger at her.

Just as Chi Chi was about to leap into her father's arms for a hug, she paused. "Oh, but what about luggage? Do we have enough time to stop by home first? I'll need a few things."

"You're already packed. I used a DynoCap so you'll have everything you could possibly need with you, plus plenty of spending money for souvenirs if you wish," the Ox King said, taking the wheelchair from Dr. Bulberry.

Chi Chi hesitated, but finally shrugged and sat down in the wheelchair. "Alright. Let's do it!"

"Yippee!" Mrs. Briefs exclaimed, jumping up and down a little.

The Ox King rolled the wheelchair with his daughter out of the hospital room and down the hall with Mrs. Briefs in tow.

"I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you enough, Daddy! This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!" Chi Chi said, smiling happily.

"Oh, sweetie. Your happiness is the only reward I need and you know it," the Ox King replied. In the back of his mind, he heaved a huge sigh of relief. _I can't believe this is actually working. For a minute there, I thought I was absolutely done for! I'll have to send Dr. Bulberry a thank-you card for sure._

…

"I found something!" Tarble called to Bulma as she finished her meal. He pulled a couple of fine luxury blankets out of a small crate.

The young woman hopped down from the crate she was sitting on and walked over to him. "Wow! This material is amazingly soft. These blankets must be stolen goods. I wonder what they're made out of. Must be some kind of priceless luxury cloth or silk," Bulma said, examining his find.

As Tarble ran his hand across the velvety material, the feeling began to seem oddly familiar to him. He gave one blanket to Bulma and took another for himself, pressing his face against the material and inhaling deeply. Suddenly his eyes popped open.

"What is it?" Bulma inquired, taking notice.

"I… I think I know what this is," Tarble said hesitantly, "I've slept on this type of linen before when I was a kid back in my father's palace. I can't remember what this is called, but I know where it comes from. And you're right. It must be stolen, because it's incredibly expensive. Only royalty and the super-rich can afford such bed linens."

"Really?" Bulma replied, immediately taking great interest.

Tarble nodded. "Yeah."

Suddenly Bulma and Tarble heard a loud thump from the floor overhead, reminding them that they were not alone on the ship.

"Hey, Bulma. Before we relax, I think we need to get the stuff out of that crate so we can be comfortable in there. Someone could come down the stairs any minute and we'll have to hide. We also don't want to leave any clues to suggest that we're still down here," Tarble suggested.

"Good point," Bulma replied, staring nervously at the ceiling. She put the blanket down and went back to the crate they planned to hide in. She pulled the top off and reached down to the tubing and smaller pieces of equipment.

"Good idea, Bulma. We should get all the small pieces out first before I haul out the big pieces of equipment. We'll make less noise that way," Tarble remarked, hopping inside the crate to help Bulma with the task.

Together they were able to efficiently remove all the small pieces of robotic equipment and hide them in other crates in less than five minutes. There were five larger pieces. Only three of them were able to fit in other crates, so Bulma had to anxiously spend some time taking the other two pieces apart by hand so they could be stowed.

As Bulma worked, Tarble noticed her collecting bits and pieces of material, such as screws, microchips, and other things. "Are you taking that stuff to make the micro band with?" he inquired.

"Yeah, among other things," Bulma replied, not taking her eyes off of her work. As parts of the equipment came loose, she handed them to Tarble. "Find somewhere to hide this."

"Sure thing," Tarble said, searching through the other crates. He stowed each piece away neatly, making it look like they had been packed that way intentionally.

"Alright, this is the last piece," Bulma said, yawning deeply. "Wow, I'm so exhausted. I don't think I can get any more work done right now. I need to sleep."

Tarble yawned, too. "Same here. Now that we've got full stomachs we should get some shuteye. When we wake up you can continue working on the new micro band and I can use the existing one to find us more food," he suggested.

"Great idea, Tarb. We make the perfect team, don't we?" Bulma said with half-lidded eyes, laughing a bit. She took as many of the luxury blankets as her arms could carry and waddled over to the crate they would be hiding in. Tarble opened the top for her and she dropped them in. "Come on, let's get as comfortable as possible and go to sleep."

They both climbed into the crate and went to sleep.


End file.
